Texas native Taylor Smith hit two home runs and drove in six runs, leading the Missoula PaddleHeads to their sixth consecutive victory on Saturday night.
The Zootown’s Pioneer League professional baseball team overcame an early lead by the Ogden Raptors and went on to win 14-4 at Lindquist Field in Ogden, Utah. The PaddleHeads, now with a league-best record of 9-2, played in front of a crowd of 3,276.
The Raptors (1-10) scored a run against Missoula starter Elijah Gill in the second inning, but the PaddleHeads took the lead in the third inning with a solo home run by Smith and an RBI single by Kamron Willman.
Smith, a catcher who played college baseball at UT San Antonio and hit 17 home runs for the Road Runners this spring, hit a grand slam in the fourth inning, extending Missoula’s lead to 8-1. The team scored six more runs in the final three innings.
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Gill, the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year with the Billings Mustangs two years ago, earned his first win (1-0) after allowing three unearned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in six innings. Jestin Jones pitched the final three innings for Missoula and allowed only one run.
Both teams had a total of 11 hits. Smith, Adam Fogel, and Luis Navarro each contributed two hits for Missoula, with Fogel hitting a solo home run and a double, and Navarro hitting a single and a double.
Missoula and Ogden will face off again on Sunday afternoon in Utah before the PaddleHeads have their home debut on Tuesday night.
Bill Speltz is Missoulian Sports Editor. Email Bill at bill.speltz@missoulian.com.
