The Billings Mustangs (30-10) dropped Saturday night's game 18-13 to the Great Falls Voyagers (16-25) at Voyager Stadium, evening the three-game series at one game apiece.

Billings struck first in the opening inning after drawing four walks, with John McHenry forcing home the game's first run on a bases-loaded free pass.

The Voyagers answered immediately in the bottom half. Willie Ponce tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a Tommy Specht RBI single before Great Falls ultimately erupted for nine runs in the frame. The Mustangs used three pitchers in the opening inning as the Voyagers sent 14 batters to the plate. Great Falls scored nine runs on just three hits, aided by a stretch of eight consecutive batters reaching via a walk or hit by pitch. Seven of those free passes came with the bases loaded to force home runs.

The Mustangs answered with a two-run homer by A.J. Shaver in the second, but Great Falls continued to add on, building an 18-3 lead through five innings.

Billings refused to go away, scoring in each of the final four innings. Shaver and Cameron Bowen hit back-to-back solo shots in the sixth before Sean Lynch added a pinch-hit homer in the seventh.

The Mustangs plated five runs in the eighth, including a two-run double by Shaver, who finished with five RBI to increase his Pioneer League-leading total to 60.

Billings added two more runs in the ninth on a pair of bases-loaded walks and brought the tying run to the on-deck circle before the comeback bid came to an end.

The Mustangs and Voyagers conclude their three-game series on Sunday at 11:30 am. Former Billings pitcher Harry Orth is expected to make his Great Falls debut, while True McEvoy is slated to make his Mustangs debut.