Chukars secure champs series bid behind Spencer gem, offensive outburst

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Chukars are going to the PBL championship series, and they will bring a white-hot offense into their showdown with the Oakland Ballers.

Idaho Falls pounded out 20 hits, including five home runs, to back a lights-out performance from starter Shane Spencer en route to a 22-6 victory over the PaddleHeads Sunday.

The Chukars took an early lead in the winner-take-all game, scoring four runs in the second inning, and that opened the floodgates for an Idaho Falls team that led the league in most offensive categories.

They added three more runs in the third, then three more in the fourth. And before they could push across another three in the eighth, the Chukars put to bed any thought of another PaddleHead comeback with a nine-run seventh.

Missoula rode a nine-run sixth to a comeback victory Saturday night, tying the series after their own defensive miscues opened the door for a Chukar Game 1 win Friday.

Another comeback was not in the cards for the PaddleHeads, who finished the regular season with the league’s second-best record. Spencer was never going to let them mount any kind of threat, much less piece together a rally.

In his 7 innings of work, the right-hander allowed just four hits and two runs, on a pair of solo homers, while striking out eight and walking just one.

Missoula and its potent middle-of-the-order hit Robert Hughes for four runs in the eighth and ninth. Eventually, manager Troy Percival had to go to closer Nicolo Pinazzi, who slammed the door, recording the final two outs.

Every Chukar who started recorded at least one hit. Batting champion Benjamin Rosengard — who hit .463 on the season but was hampered by an injury down the stretch — led the way with his five-hit performance and looks to be back to full health at the most ideal time.

Simon Baumgardt knocked in four with a grand slam (1). Eddie Pelc, Jacob Jablonski, Spencer Rich and Garret Ostrander each hit their first homers of the postseason. Pelc, Ostrander and Anthony Mata each drove in three, while Ostrander scored a game-high four runs.

MVP-apparent Roberto Pena was the majority of the Missoula offense, collecting three hits and driving in two runs. After hitting a league-record 46 homers, Pena swatted his first homer of the series in the bottom of the eighth.

The Chukars will be in Idaho Falls Tuesday and Wednesday, when they face the Oakland Ballers at Melaleuca Field for the first two games of the championship series.

Oakland won its deciding Game 3 with the Ogden Raptors, 1-0, Saturday. The Ballers scored six runs combined in the three-game series.

The Chukars and Ballers did not face each other this season.

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