After poor weather delayed the start to the season, the Bozeman Bucks finally got on the field over the weekend and were able to play three of their four scheduled games.
The Bucks’ first game had been scheduled for last Wednesday but was postponed to May 17. Instead, the Bucks began on Saturday with a pair of losses to the Missoula Mavericks. A loss to Great Falls followed on Sunday (the second game of the doubleheader was not played).
Bozeman committed five errors in their first game, helping the Mavericks to an 8-1 win. Missoula scored once in the first inning and five times in the third inning. The Mavericks added one more run in the sixth before Dylon Poulin had an RBI in the seventh for the final margin.
Poulin had two of Bozeman’s four hits. He and Joshua Woodberry each had doubles. Jadin Frandsen had Bozeman’s other hit.
Chris Wrench started on the mound and went two innings, allowing one run on one hit with two walks and four strikeouts. Easton Martin followed and allowed seven runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks in three innings. Joey Starner pitched one inning and allowed one hit and a walk.
In the second game against Missoula, the Bucks outhit the Mavericks 7-5 but still came up short, losing 3-2. Bozeman scored once in the first inning and once in the fourth, but Missoula’s three runs in the third inning were enough to win.
Bryce Hampton led the Bucks at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Austin Cooper, Jarrett Herz, Frandsen and Starner all had singles. On the mound, Justin Garcia pitched 2â…” innings and allowed three runs on four hits with three walks and one strikeout. Gus Musial pitched the final 3â…“ innings, allowing three walks and one hit with two strikeouts.
On Sunday, a six-run third inning was more than enough to help Great Falls to a 9-3 win over the Bucks. The Chargers scored once in each of the first two innings against Quinn Pershing. Great Falls struck for six runs in the third inning against Poulin (five earned runs on three walks and a home run) and Bryce Hampton (one earned run, four walks, one strikeout). One more run for Great Falls in the fifth completed the team’s scoring.
Bozeman scored once in the second, fourth and seventh innings.
Pershing struck out three and walked three in his two innings. He allowed one hit and both runs against him were unearned. Cole Smith pitched 1â…“ innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit and two walks. Starner finished on the mound, allowing one hit in the final 1â…” innings.
Cooper went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Woodberry had one hit and scored a run. Herz drew a walk and scored once. Smith had one hit, and Musial had one RBI. Hampton and Poulin each hit doubles, and Poulin had one RBI.
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