GREAT FALLS — The Billings Mustangs were unable to begin their six-game road series against the Great Falls Voyagers with a 2-0 record Wednesday, losing to the hosts by a 6-4 margin in a weather-delayed game.
Billings (16-16 overall) had won by a 6-3 scoreline in the series opener against Great Falls (7-25) on Tuesday. The Mustangs have been on a bit of a slide since winning back-to-back games at Dehler Park last weekend against the Missoula PaddleHeads, losing four of their past five games.
Lightning in Great Falls stopped Wednesday’s game for about an hour in the fifth inning with the Voyagers up 5-2. They held onto that lead as play resumed, answering a Billings run in the top of the sixth with one of their own in the bottom half and refusing to let a potential late Mustangs rally gain steam.
Patrick Mills hit a leadoff home run to start the top of the ninth for the Ponies, cutting the lead to two runs and giving the Mustangs some life. But the Voyagers’ Alex Verdugo managed to retire the next three batters to pick up the save and end Billings’ hopes for a win then and there.
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Mills finished with two RBIs to lead the Mustangs, with Gabe Wurtz being the only other Billings player to record one Wednesday.
Mustangs starter Patrick Maybach, the Pioneer League’s leader in ERA entering Wednesday’s games, was dealt his first loss of the season after going four innings and allowing five earned runs off of eight hits, though he did strike out eight Voyagers.
