Eagles fly past Braves

Ethan Paugh hit a three-run home run and Missoula Big Sky used a nine-run first inning to take a 15-4 victory over Flathead in Western AA baseball Tuesday at ABS Park. 

Paugh’s homer came in the fifth inning to put the Eagles ahead 13-2, they added two more in the inning. 

An early double from Rowan Miculka put Big Sky (9-1-1) on the board in the first inning. The Eagles then took advantage of eight free passes — four walks and four hit batsmen — to springboard to a 9-0 advantage before the Braves (5-9) had a chance to bat. 

Eli Coopman helped the Flathead offense show some life in the fourth with an RBI double to center field that scored Micah Engle. Coopman came home on a passed ball later in the frame. 

Hunter Fann added another run with an RBI single in the fifth, and scored on a fielders choice. 

The game ended after five innings due to the run rule. 

Paugh went four innings on the mound, striking out five. He allowed two runs on five hits. 

Coopman threw 3 2-3 innings for the Braves, allowing five runs and fanning 11. 

Big Sky    910    05    -    15    6    0 

Flathead    000    22    -    4    9    1

Ethan Paugh, Remington Howard (5) and Johnson. Landon Jacobsen, Eli Coopman (1), Jacobe Sullenger (5) and Leum Saisbury. 

MISSOULA BIG SKY — Colter Nicolarsen 1-1, Rowan Miculka 1-3, Remington Howard 0-2, Ethan Paugh 1-2, Isaac Thome 0-3, Matthew Doty 1-2, Uriah Johnson 1-3, Caleb Hood 0-3, Tait Ramsay 0-2. 

FLATHEAD — Dillon Wink 2-3, Hunter Fann 1-3, Liam Rech 1-3, Leum Saidbury 0-2, Micah Engle 3-3, Eli Coopman 1-3, Miles Arrowsmith 1-2, Jacobe Sullenger 0-2, Fischer Lee 0-2. 

2B — Miculka, Coopman, Rech. HR — Paugh. RBIs — Paugh 5, Nicolarsen 2, Miculka, Doty, Hood, Ramsay. Fann, Engle, Coopman.