The Scarlets scored four times in the bottom of the sixth to rally to a 7-5 victory in Game 1, but the Mavs went right to work in the second contest and forged a split with a 9-3 victory.
A pair of solo home runs by third baseman Taylor King weren't enough to lift the Mavericks to victory in the first game.
Tyler Tabbert and Anthony Kuntz combined to limit the Mavs to seven hits.
Kendal Maier homered for Missoula (10-4) as the Mavs won the second contest.
Cody Burgmeier improved to 3-1 on the mound for Missoula. He allowed nine hits in posting the win.
Sean Dwyer doubled and drove in two for the Mavs and King added a triple.
Jordan Roberts went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs to lead Billings.
The same teams meet for a single nine-inning game Sunday in the Magic City.
First game
Billings 7, Missoula 5
Missoula 100 040 0 - 5 7 1
Billings 002 014 x - 7 6 0
Wes Martens, Jacob Schilling (5) and Sean Dwyer. Tyler Tabbert, Anthony Kuntz (6) and Tyson Shriver. W - Kuntz. L - Schilling.
MISSOULA - Taylor King 3-4, Ben Roberts 0-3, Dwyer 1-4, Kendal Maier 1-3, Brendon Brown 1-2, Taylor Nordby 0-2, Drew Lytle 1-3, Sam Sopko 0-2, Cubby Pierre 0-3.
BILLINGS - Jordan Heringer 0-2, Aleksei Grosulak 1-2, Joel Reitz 1-1, Alex Bushman 2-4, Jordan Roberts 0-3, Shriver 1-4, Joey Werner 0-3, Eric Nell 1-4, Ty Gilmore 0-0.
2B - Brown. 3B - Bushman. HR - King 2. RBIs - King 2, Brown, Reitz 2, Bushman 3, Shriver.
Second game
Missoula 9, Billings 3
Missoula 310 011 3 - 9 7 1
Billings 000 030 0 - 3 9 2
Cody Burgmeier and Andy Freeman. Joe Barta, Lucas Blehm (6), Brady Muller (7) and Joey Werner. W - Burgmeier. L - Barta.
MISSOULA - King 1-2, Roberts 1-3, Dwyer 1-4, Maier 1-4, Brown 2-4, Nordby 0-2, Burgmeier 1-2, Freeman 0-1, Sopko 0-3.
BILLINGS - Heringer 3-4, Grosulak 3-4, Reitz 0-3, Bushman 0-3, Shriver 0-2, J. Roberts 3-3, Werner 0-3, Nell 0-3, Gilmore 0-3.
2B - Dwyer. 3B - King. HR - Maier. RBIs - B. Roberts, Dwyer 2, Maier 2, Brown 2, Sopko, Bushman, J. Roberts 2.
A Mavs sweep Sparkies
The Class A Missoula Mavericks needed a little late-inning magic to win the opener of the twin bill 4-3 at Lindborg-Cregg Field before downing the Great Falls Sparkies 21-4 in a game called after 4fi innings due to the 10-run margin rule.
After a leadoff walk began Missoula's bottom of the seventh with the first game tied 3-3, pinch runner Collin LaPorte advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Matt McMann. Following an infield single by Robby King, Brody Miller drove home LaPorte with a line-drive single to end it.
CJ Wulf pitched the first six innings for the Mavs and was relieved by eventual winner Andrew Schmautz, who kept the Sparkies hitless in the seventh.
McMann was 2-for-3 with a triple, while Miller and Andrew Bewley added two hits apiece.
Missoula scored seven times in the first and put up 13 in the fourth inning of the nightcap.
Brady Satake went 2-for-4 with a bases-loaded triple in the first. He finished with five RBIs as the Mavs improved to 9-2. Stuart Breckenridge went 2-for-3 and drove in three and Josh Seeberger provided Missoula with two more RBIs.
The Mavericks host the Bozeman Spikes for a 1 p.m. doubleheader Sunday.
First game
Missoula 4, Great Falls 3
Great Falls 001 020 0 - 3 10 3
Missoula 100 200 1 - 4 9 0
Spencer Hart and Randy Stevens. CJ Wulf, Andrew Schmautz (7) and David Resner. W - Schmautz (1-0). L - Hart.
Second game
Missoula 21, Great Falls 4
Great Falls 100 30 - 4 5 6
Missoula 710 (13)x - 21 14 1
Sean Murray, Ira Kelly (4), Trevor Johnson (4) and Justin Eckhart, Jaren Robinson (4). Shawn McArthur and Josh Seeberger. W - McArthur (2-0). L - Murray.
Bitterroot Bucs sweep Salmon
At Florence, the Bitterroot Bucs doubled their win total by sweeping Salmon, Idaho, in a doubleheader.
The Bucs took a 9-4 win in the opener and finished off Salmon with a 16-1 victory in the late game
Tyler Lind was 2-for-4 in the first game with a three-run homer in the fourth to lead the Bucs.
Jimmy Riggan was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles to lead Salmon.
Austin Erler led the way in the nightcap with six strikeouts en route to a two-hit complete game.
Matthew Perez was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to lead Bitterroot at the plate.
Riggan doubled for Salmon.
Next up for the Bucs (4-9) is a 2 p.m. game against the Bitterroot Red Sox on Sunday in Hamilton.
First game
Bitterroot 9, Salmon 4
Salmon 003 010 0 - 4 9 2
Bitterroot 300 402 0 - 9 8 3
Koby Salmela and Billy Hanna. Jimmy Riggan and Caleb Walker. W - Salmela. L - Riggan.
Second game
Bitterroot 16, Salmon 1
Salmon 100 00 - 1 2 5
Bitterroot (13)00 3x - 16 14 0
Jace Ellis, Luke Weaver (1), Andrew McComus (4) and Walker. Austin Erler and Josh Ziegler. W - Erler. L - Ellis.
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