Dodgers rally past Mustangs Goodwin's single sparks three-run eighth inning By CHAD ROBERTS Tribune Sports Writer The Great Falls Dodgers put the bat on the ball at the right times Tuesday night. Tom Goodwin and John Deutsch keyed big innings with two-run singles, as the Dodgers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth to defeat the Billings Mustangs 7-4 before 3,504 at Legion Park. Frank Humber, the third Dodger hurler, pitched 1⅓ innings of hitless relief to get the win. Humber is now 2-0. Brian Fry, 1-1, took the loss in relief for the Mustangs. Goodwin, who had extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a third-inning single, bounced a hit through a drawn-in infield, scoring pinch-runner Craig White and Matt Howard with the tie-breaking runs. It was a nice piece of hitting by Goodwin, as he fought off an 0-2 pitch to get the ball through the infield. "Goodwin and Anthony Collier both hit the same ball, , except they were playing Goodwin in the hole," Dodgers' manager Joe Vavra said. "Goodwin and Collier just have to put the ball in play. If you put the ball in play, you put pressure on the defense." Dodgers put pressure on the Mustangs' defense in the eighth. Billings' fielders committed three errors in the frame. Great Falls fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, before breaking loose for four runs after two were out in the fifth. Mark Borcherding, the starting pitcher for Billings, should have been out of the frame without a run scoring. However, a key error by shortstop Trevor Hoffman opened the door for Collier and Deutsch, who produced three runs with a pair of singles. Deutsch, a 6-5, 225-pound first baseman, plated Tom Goodwin and Tim Barker with his check-swing liner over third baseman Steve Vondran's head. Deutsch hit three balls to the opposite side during the contest, including a long fly ball which was hauled in on the warning track in the first inning. Great Falls Dodger Anthony early-inning action against night at Legion Park. "They were and he took Deutsch said gle. Vavra said was just hitting him. "John has ball to either always has long double to the right field power ally by Mark Cerny. After Cerny's hit, Vavra brought in Mark Potthoff. Catcher Brian Nicholls greeted the reliever with a shot over the bag at first. Deutsch got a piece of the ball, but it bounced past him for a run-scoring single. Billings tied the game 4-4 in the eighth with two out. Hoffman was hit in the foot by a Potthoff pitch to lead off the inning. He was bunted to second by Scott Pose, and scored on a single by Chris Gill. Humber relieved Potthoff, and got Cerny to fly to Rod Harvell in left for the third out. DODGER NOTES: The crowd of 3,504 was the largest of the season at Legion Park... The Dodgers and Mustangs will play a twi-night -header tonight beginning at 6 p.m. Kiki Jones and Rich Crane will draw the starting assignments for the first-place Dodgers...Los Angeles Dodgers' head of scouting Ben Wade and farm director Charlie Blaney were in attendance at Tuesday's game…Dodgers' reliever Bobby Fletcher, who pitched just two innings for Great Falls, has been transferred to Salem (Ore.) Dodgers in the Northwest League. Good win BILLINGS (4) GREAT FALLS (7) ab r h bi abr h bi Pose If 3110 Goodwin cf 4 222 Perozo 4010 Barker ss 3101 Gill dh 4011 Collier rf 5021 Vondran 3b 4120 Deutsch 1b 4012 Cerny rf O'Donnell 3b 5000 Nichols c 3011 Seals dh 3000 Henderson 1b 0 00 0 0 3000 Baar 4010 Cox ph 10 0 0 White pr 0100 Dombrowski 2b 4 0 0 Teel c 0000 0000 Hoffman ss 2100 Howard 2b 4220 Harvell If 2110 Fowler If 0 0 Totals 32 4 7 3 Totals 34 79 6 Billings 100 000 210 4 Helena 000 040 03x-7 E -Barker, Hoffman, Perozo, Vandran, Rodriguez. DP-Great Falls 1. DP-Billings 4, Great Falls 10. 2B-Pose, Cerny. S- -Pose. IP H RER BB SO Billings Borcherding 5 Fry Galloway L.1-1 1-3 g Rodriguez 2-3 - Great Falls Potthoff Humber Helmick W,2-0 1-3 2-3 0 -0 00- -Hoffman by Potthoff. T-2:45. A-3,504. Tribune Photo by Sherlyn Biorkgren Collier takes a big cut during the Billings Mustangs Tuesday the ball out of the ballpark." The Mustangs bounced back with two runs in the top of the seventh against starter Tony Helmick, who struggled early before finding his groove in the middle innings, setting down 13 straight Billings' batters at one point. Vondran opened the inning with a single, and promptly scored on a pitching me outside, some off his fastball," of his fifth-inning sin- his big first sacker what was pitched to the ability to hit the field," Vavra said. "He the capability of hitting
