Northwest League had to score in 10th inning
In a bizarre twist of fate, Missoula's Luke Lowery of the Pioneer League All-Star team could have delivered the winning RBI in the top of the eighth inning Tuesday despite the fact that the Northwest League tied the game in the bottom of the eighth. Read game story
Lowery's one-out RBI single to center field gave the Pioneer team a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth inning. The NWL tied the game at 5 in the bottom of the fifth when Spokane Indians center fielder LeDarious Clark doubled with one out and later scored on a strikeout/wild pitch.
After a scoreless ninth inning, and a 1-2-3 Pioneer top of the 10th, all the Pioneer had to do to win the game was hold the NWL scoreless in the bottom of the 10th.
It had already been determined that the game wouldn't go beyond 10 innings -- and that if the game were tied after 10, the winner of the pregame home run derby would determine the game winner.
That would be Lowery, who aced out Clark in the home run derby final.
Lowery hit eight homers during the first round of the derby to edge Great Falls' Zach Fish by one for the Pioneer title.
Clark, despite going halfway through the NWL's 3-minute round without a homer, hit five straight and finished with eight to nip Vancouver's Sean Hurley by one.
In the final, Lowery and Clark both finished with 12 homers, setting up a 30-second tiebreaker. Lowery hit four and the "grand slam" bonus while Clark finished with one.
