For the third time in four games, the Ogden Raptors fell in a road contest at Missoula and, for the third time, the PaddleHeads took control in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Missoula claimed what was a back-and-forth battle through the first half and cruised to a 14-8 victory Friday night.

The early battle: Kamron Willman hit a solo homer in the first to put Missoula (38-13, 3-1) up 1-0. Sonny Ulliana answered for Ogden (30-22, 1-3) with a two-run homer in the third to help the Raptors go up 3-1.

Nick Gatewood singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third to tie the game 3-3, and Dakota Conners answered in the next half-inning with an RBI double to put Ogden back in front 4-3.

Jayson Newman hit a two-run homer in the fifth to put the Paddleheads in front 5-4, and Jesus Valdez answered with a solo shot for the Raptors to tie it 5-5 in the top of the sixth.

That got Ogden starter Pablo Arevalo off the hook. He allowed five runs on 10 hits in five innings, striking out four, walking zero but hitting three batters.

Then came the bottom of the sixth, and Chase Stratton and Jorge Gonzalez couldn’t slow the PaddleHeads.

Newman gave his team the lead back with a two-run double, Keaton Greenwalt doubled in a run, and it was 11-5 after the frame. Gatewood and Greenwalt each added an RBI double in the seventh on the way to a 14-5 lead.

Newman took the mound in the top of the ninth and gave up three runs. Ogden’s Josh Broughton scored from second on a Reese Alexiades infield single to third base, and Valdez drove in two with a single — so Missoula won by the six runs it scored in the sixth inning.

Alexiades hit 3 for 5 to help lead Ogden at the plate, and Valdez led the team with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Newman hit 3 for 5 with four RBIs for Missoula.

The series concludes with games at 7:05 p.m. Saturday and 2:05 p.m. Sunday.

FRIDAY SCORES

Missoula 14, Ogden 8

Northern Colorado 12, Rocky Mountain 9

Grand Junction 15, Boise 4

Idaho Falls 9, Glacier 5

Great Falls 11, Billings 3

PIONEER LEAGUE STANDINGS

Second Half

NORTH DIVISION

*Missoula 3-1 (38-13 overall)

Idaho Falls 3-1 (30-22)

Great Falls 3-1 (30-21)

Billings 1-3 (26-24)

Glacier 1-3 (18-33)

SOUTH DIVISION

Grand Junction 3-1 (29-23)

Northern Colorado 2-2 (19-30)

Rocky Mountain 2-2 (18-32)

*Ogden 1-3 (30-22)

Boise 1-3 (18-34)

*- denotes first-half champion

Newsletter