Mission Valley splits weekend series

The Mission Valley Mariners faced a challenging doubleheader in Missoula on Saturday but rebounded with a pair of solid wins on Sunday against Bitterroot to close the weekend at .500 on the season.

The Mariners opened Saturday’s action with a slugfest that ultimately swung heavily in Missoula’s favor. Despite jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first and tacking on more runs in the third and fifth innings, Mission Valley couldn’t contain Missoula’s high-powered offense. The hosts responded with two runs in the first, six in the second, six in the third and another six in the fifth to cruise to a 21-11 win in six innings.

Mission Valley put together 10 hits in the loss, including multi-hit games from Landon Shoemake, Paxson DuMont, and Landon Pablo. DuMont and Cody Haggard led the team with three RBIs apiece, while Haggard blasted a home run in the third. Cole Wadsworth and Pablo each doubled to help keep the pressure on Missoula’s defense.

On the mound, Brayson DuMont and Aiden Gfroerer combined for five and one-third innings but issued a combined 17 walks. Five Mission Valley errors also added to the damage in the field.

Game two on Saturday was a sharp contrast—a quiet 5-0 loss for Mission Valley. Missoula scored early and added insurance in the fourth, while Mission Valley struggled to generate runs despite collecting four hits. Shoemake, Wadsworth, Emerson, and Gfroerer each had one hit, but the offense couldn’t break through.

Pitchers Cash Atkinson and Justin Brown performed well despite the loss. Atkinson allowed only one earned run over four innings, striking out four, while Brown tossed two shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts.

After two tough losses, Mission Valley found its footing on Sunday.

In the opener against Bitterroot, the Mariners were held scoreless through five innings before erupting for four runs in the final two frames to secure a 4-2 comeback win. Shoemake continued his strong weekend with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, while Holden Emerson drove in two runs to lead the offense. Cody Haggard started on the mound and delivered five solid innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out five. Landon Pablo closed out the final two innings, giving up no runs and just two hits.

The second game saw Mission Valley keep the momentum rolling with a 9-1 rout. The Mariners broke a scoreless tie with a run in the fourth and a five-run fifth inning, then added two more in the sixth and another in the seventh to pull away.

Holden Emerson sparked the offense, going 3-for-4 and driving in three runs. Wadsworth added a 2-for-3 effort and an RBI, and DuMont knocked in two more. On the mound, Wadsworth threw a complete game, striking out 10 batters while allowing no earned runs.

After a turbulent start to the weekend, Mission Valley finished strong, sweeping Bitterroot to improve to 8-8 on the season. 

Saturday, June 14

MISSOULA 21, MISSION VALLEY 11

MissionVal - 532010 - 11 - 10 - 5

Missoula - 266061 - 21 - 11 - 3

MISSION VALLEY HITTING: Cole Wadsworth 1-4, Landon Shoemake 2-3, Holden Emerson 1-3, Cody Haggard 1-2, Paxson DuMont 2-3, Noah Agliano 1-2, Landon Pablo 2-4; RBI: Haggard 3, Paxson DuMont 3, Gfroerer, Agliano, Pablo; 2B: Landon Pablo, Cole Wadsworth; HR: Cody Haggard

MISSION VALLEY PITCHING: Brayson DuMont (2 and 1/3IP, 4H, 14R, 9ER, 8BB, 2SO); Aiden Gfroerer (3IP, 7H, 7R, 7ER, 9BB, 2SO)

MISSOULA 5, MISSION VALLEY 0

MissionVal - 0000000 - 0 - 4 - 5

Missoula - 300200x - 5 - 4 - 0

MISSION VALLEY HITTING: Cole Wadsworth 1-3, Landon Shoemake 1-3, Holden Emerson 1-3, Aiden Gfroerer 1-3

MISSION VALLEY PITCHING: Cash Atkinson (4IP, 3H, 5R, 1ER, 2BB, 4SO); Justin Brown (2IP, 1H, 0R, 1BB, 2SO)

Sunday, June 15

MISSION VALLEY 4, BITTERROOT 2

MissionVal - 0000013 - 4 - 9 - 3

Bitterroot - 0001100 - 2- 7 - 1

MISSION VALLEY HITTING: Cole Wadsworth 1-4, Landon Shoemake 2-3, Holden Emerson 2-4, Cody Haggard 1-4, Paxson DuMont 1-3, Aiden Gfroerer 1-3, Aiden Courville 1-3; RBI: Emerson 2, Paxson DuMont

MISSION VALLEY PITCHING: Cody Haggard (5IP, 5H, 2R, 1ER, 4BB, 5SO); Landon Pablo (2IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB, 1SO)

MISSION VALLEY 9, BITTERROOT 1

MissionVal - 0001521 - 9 - 6 - 3

Bitterroot - 0000001 - 1 - 5 - 4

MISSION VALLEY HITTING: Cole Wadsworth 2-3, Holden Emerson 3-4, Aiden Courville 1-4; RBI: Cole Wadsworth, Landon Shoemake, Emerson 3, Cody Haggard, Paxson DuMont 2

MISSION VALLEY PITCHING: Cole Wadsworth (7IP, 5H, 1R, 0ER, 10SO)