Chukars drop second straight in Great Falls

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Looking to get back in the win column following a loss Wednesday, the Chukars could not overcome a pair of massive innings from the Voyagers Thursday night.

Great Falls (23-46, 9-12) hit three homers en route to a 16-9 victory at Voyager Stadium in Great Falls, Mont.

The Chukars (38-30, 11-10) battled in the middle innings, finally answering a six-run Voyager second with five runs of their own in the seventh. But the Voyagers put things out of reach with four more in the eighth.

Starter Garrett Van Deventer (L, 5-5) worked around a leadoff double to post a scoreless first. But things started to unfold for the lefty in the second, when Great Falls pieced together a two-run two-out rally.

Things continued to go sideways for Van Deventer in the third, when the first two batters he faced homered.

The starter was lifted with one out in the third, tagged with eight hits and seven runs.

Great Falls’ assault on Chukar pitching continued, as the Voyagers scored eight runs against three Idaho Falls relievers over the final 5-2/3 innings.

Dante Zamudio gave his squad a fighting chance, holding the home team to three runs (two earned) for three innings, from the fifth to the seventh.

It seemed the hard-throwing right-hander had set up the Chukars for another late charge, when the Idaho Falls offense, which had scored single runs in the first, fifth and sixth innings, pushed five runs across in the seventh.

But Jean Reyes could not hold the line, serving up four runs in the eighth.

Lead-off man Garret Ostrander was on base all night, collecting a pair of hits and drawing a pair of walks. He scored three runs.

Benjamin Rosengard added three hits, one run and one RBI out of the two-hole.

Still in playoff position with less than a month to play, the Chukars will look to get the victory ball rolling again Friday night when they continue a six-game set in Great Falls. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.

PBL second-half standings
1. Oakland Ballers (16-5)
2. Missoula PaddleHeads (14-6)
T3. Rocky Mountain Vibes (11-9)
T3. Ogden Raptors (11-9)
T5. Glacier Range Riders (11-10)
T5. Idaho Falls Chukars (11-10)
T7. Billings Mustangs (9-12)
T7. Great Falls Voyagers (9-12)
9. Colorado Springs Sky Sox (8-12)
T10. Boise Hawks (8-13)
T10. Grand Junction Jackalopes (8-13)
T10. Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers (8-13)