After splitting a twin bill Saturday with the Great Falls Stallions that left their manager less than pleased with his team's performance, the Mavs put together a pair of five-inning victories due to the 10-run margin rule. Missoula took the opener 10-0 behind an 11-hit attack, then watched as Anthony Maes fired a three-hitter as the Mavericks scored a 16-1 win in the nightcap.
The quality of play helped the Missoula skipper erase the memories of a lackluster afternoon the day before and added some much-needed confidence to a pair of starting pitchers in their first year at the AA level.
Wes Martens was sharp on the mound in the opener, scattering six hits in five frames to chalk up his first AA win. He struck out five and walked only one as he moved to 1-0.
Martens was helped by a defensive gem by right fielder Taylor Nordby after allowing back-to-back singles with one out in the third. Nordby made a diving catch of a sinking liner by Belgrade catcher Connor Schultz, then scrambled to his feet and doubled up Joel Barnett at first to end the Bandits' best threat of the game.
The Missoula bats were ready from the get-go, plating three in the first on a Sean Dwyer groundout, a wild pitch by Andy Freund and an RBI single by first baseman Brendan Brown.
After taking a 5-0 lead into the fifth, the Mavs closed it out by sending nine to the plate in their five-run, six-hit bottom of the frame. Singles in the inning by Andy Freeman and Ben Roberts each drove home a run before a two-run single by Dwyer and Nordby's bases-loaded single ended it.
Left fielder Sam Sopko was 2-for-3 with a double, while Brown and Roberts also finished 2-for-3.
“The pitching we saw today wasn't exactly overpowering, but we still came up with some good at-bats in a game situation where we have to make good choices,” Hathaway said.
The Mavs picked up where they left off in the second game, scoring four times in the first on a two-run double by Kendal Maier and a single that scored two by designated hitter Drew Lytle. They sent 12 to the plate in scoring six in the second and put another five spot on the board in the fourth.
Mavericks first baseman Cody Burgmeier collected three singles and drove in four, while Lytle finished with a pair of singles and four RBIs. Maier and Roberts each went 2-for-3 and Dwyer added a two-run double.
That made life easy for Maes (2-0), who surrendered just a pair of singles in the third and one more in the fifth. Maes also had the benefit of the Mavs' first error-free game of the season. He fanned five and didn't issue a free pass while finding himself in just two three-ball counts.
“What we wanted to see out of our pitchers today was that they could throw multiple pitches for strikes in any count,” Hathaway said. “I thought (Maes) especially did a real good job when he was down in the count.”
The Bandits, who dipped to 4-6 after beginning the season with three consecutive wins, received singles from Lane Berberet, Keldon Graff and Pat Freund.
First game
Missoula 10, Belgrade 0
Belgrade 000 00 - 0 6 5
Missoula 311 05 - 10 11 2
Andy Freund, CJ Layman (5) and Connor Schultz, Wes Martens and Andy Freeman. W - Martens (1-0). L - Freund.
BELGRADE - Jordan Prester 0-3, Bryn Harris 0-3, Freund 2-3, Joel Barnett 1-2, Schultz 1-2, Phil Prickett 0-3, Dan Kristensen 0-2, Lyman 0-0, Fernando Castaneda 1-2, Pat Freund 1-1.
MISSOULA - Taylor King 1-2, .Ben Roberts 2-3, Sean Dwyer 1-3, Kendal Maier 1-3, Taylor Nordby 1-2, Brendan Brown 2-3, Sam Sopko 2-3, Freeman 1-3, Cubby Pierre 0-2.
2B - Sopko. 3B - A. Freund. RBIs - Roberts, Dwyer 3, Nordby, Brown, Sopko, Freeman.
Second game
Missoula 16, Belgrade 1
Belgrade 001 00 - 1 3 3
Missoula 462 4x - 16 12 0
Prickett, Layman (2), Schultz (4) and Schultz, Layman (4). Anthony Maes and Dwyer. W - Maes (2-0). L - Prickett.
BELGRADE - Prester 0-2, Jake Messenger 0-0, Harris 0-2, LD Severson 0-1, A. Freund 0-2, Schultz 0-2, Barnett 0-2, Castaneda 0-1, Prickett 0-1, Steven McAdams 0-1, Lane Berberet 1-1, Keldon Graff 1-1, P. Freund 1-1, Robby Miller 0-1.
MISSOULA - King 0-1, Roberts 2-3, Shawn Griffith 1-1, Dwyer 1-2, Maier 2-3, Nordby 0-0, Lincoln Mansch 1-1, Cody Burgmeier 3-4, Sopko 0-2, Jake Schilling 0-0, Drew Lytle 2-4, Pierre 0-3.
2B - Dwyer, Maier. RBIs - Dwyer 2, Maier, Nordby, Mansch, Burgmeier 4, Schilling, Lytle 4.
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