After dropping a franchise record 10 consecutive games, the Osprey finally broke through with an all-around solid performance and snapped their losing skid with a 9-5 victory over the Idaho Falls Chukars before an appreciative crowd at Ogren-Allegiance Park.
Though the win only inched the O's Pioneer League-worst record to 5-20, there were nothing but smiling faces wearing the home team's white uniforms afterward.
Osprey starting pitcher Rafeal Quezada improved to 2-3 in a five-inning start that was his best this season, minus one bad inning.
Staked to a 1-0 lead after Elmore led off the bottom of the first with his first triple and was plated on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Reynaldo Navarro, Quezada pitched himself into big trouble. He allowed four Chukars to score in their four-run second inning that featured back-to-back home runs by Alberto Espinoza and Devery Van De Keere, the eighth and ninth hitters in the Idaho Falls order.
But Quezada returned to form by tossing a 1-2-3 third and the Chukars failed to mount a serious scoring threat over his final two frames. Quezada's line included four runs on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
But it was the way Quezada rebounded from his poor second frame that impressed Osprey manager Audo Vicente.
“Yeah, (Quezada) had one bad inning,” Vicente said. “But he came back, made some adjustments and did an outstanding job for us.”
Consecutive run-scoring singles by Rafael Hilario and Elmore brought Missoula within 4-3 in the bottom of the second before the Osprey took the lead for good in the fourth on Elmore's two-run triple.
Missoula added two more runs in the fifth on a double by catcher Rossmel Perez before third baseman Victor Estevez put the exclamation point on the O's first win since June 30 with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.
The Osprey also received a stellar performance from its bullpen. Boise, Idaho, native Justin Mace allowed only a harmless run in the eighth in three innings of work. Mace fanned three and gave up three hits without walking a batter.
Pedro Rodriguez nailed it shut by throwing a perfect ninth inning after J.D. Alfaro grounded to third for the final out.
Idaho Falls starter Aneidy Toribio was tabbed with the loss. He threw five innings of four-hit ball, but surrendered five runs and four walks to go with three strikeouts.
Van De Keere was the only Idaho Falls hitter to post a multi-hit evening, going 2-for-4 as the Southern Division cellar dwelling Chukars fell to 9-15.
“This win definitely fired us up,” Elmore said. “We'll come back tomorrow with a little bit of pep in our step tomorrow. I think.”
Notes: The Chukars entered having won three of four in over the Helena Brewers. ... Over their 10-game losing streak, the Osprey hit .233 and had a team ERA of 8.79. ... Elmore entered hitting .412 for the month and has now hit safely in six of Missoula's last seven games. ... Brett Reynolds (0-1) is slated to get the start when the same teams meet at Ogren-Allegiance at 5 p.m. Sunday.
IDAHO FALLS MISSOULA
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Norris cf 5 0 1 0 Elmore 2b 3 2 3 3
Alfaro ss 5 0 1 0 Estevez 3b 4 1 1 2
Griffin lf 4 0 0 0 Navarro ss 4 0 0 1
Francis rf 3 1 1 0 White 1b 4 0 0 0
McCauley c 4 1 1 0 Stone lf 5 1 1 0
Perez 2b 4 1 1 0 Diaz cf 2 2 1 0
Testa dh 4 0 1 1 R.Perez c 2 1 2 2
Espinosa 1b 3 1 1 4 Asencio rf 4 1 0 0
VanDeKre 3b 4 1 2 1 Hilario dh 3 1 1 1
Totals 36 5 9 5 Totals 31 9 9 9
Idaho Falls 040 000 010 - 5
Missoula 120 220 02x - 9
LOB - Idaho Falls 6, Missoula 8. 2B - Perez, Norris, Francis, R. Perez. 3B - Elmore 2. HR - Espinosa (1), VanDeKeere (2), Estevez (1). SF - Navarro.
Idaho Falls
IP H R ER BB SO
Toribio L, 0-3 3.2 4 5 5 4 3
Miller 0.2 3 2 2 1 0
Novakowski 2.2 1 0 0 3 3
Foster 1.0 1 2 2 1 2
Missoula
Quezada W, 2-3 5.0 6 4 4 1 5
Mace 3.0 3 1 1 0 3
Rodriguez 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
HBP - Espinosa (by Quezada). Umpires - Dustin Tibbitts, Ian Fazio. T - 2:38. A - 2,113
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