So far, the season series between the Pioneer League’s first-half champions has lived up to expectations.

And somehow, Ogden and Missoula played a nearly identical game Wednesday as they did Tuesday.

Just like Tuesday, Missoula built a big lead. Just like Tuesday, Ogden rallied in late innings to tie it in regulation. And just like Tuesday, the PaddleHeads were victorious in the Knockout Round home run derby.

Wednesday night, it was an 8-8 knot that Missoula’s Luis Navarro broke by winning in the third frame of Knockout Round action. No other information about the Knockout scoring was available late Wednesday (the league’s scoring system does not have a way to represent Knockout stats in the final box score).

Reese Alexiades homered twice to bookend the scoring for the Raptors (31-19, 0-2 second half), running his league-leading season total to 19.

His first-inning solo shot, another from Dakota Conners in the second and a Rafael Narea RBI single in the third had the visiting Raptors up 3-0.

But Missoula (37-13, 2-0) exploded for all eight of its runs in the fifth inning, knocking out Ogden starter Brock Gilliam (six runs allowed) and scoring twice more against Riley Ottesen before he could record the final out of the fifth. Keaton Greenwalt cleared loaded bases with a double and Navarro later socked a three-run homer to rack up the eight-run inning.

Juan Teixeira doubled in two runs in the seventh to get the Raptors back within range and Alexiades hit a three-run homer in the eighth to tie things up.

Ogden outhit Missoula for the second straight game, this time by an 11-7 tally. Gilliam and Ottesen issued six walks in the first five innings before Chase Stratton, Brandon McCabe and Dan Kubiuk held the PaddleHeads to three hits in the final four innings.

The two teams continue the series Thursday through Sunday. Missoula leads the season series 3-2 with the two Knockout wins to begin this week.

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