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HELENA- Jared Ray and two relievers combined to scatter seven hits and collect the second straight shutout by the Missoula Osprey pitching staff in a 3-0 win over the Helena Brewers on Thursday evening.

The win kept the Osprey one game back of the Billings Mustangs, who start a two-game set with the Osprey at Ogren Park Allegiance Field on Friday.

Ray (3-4) went seven innings, allowing just four hits and struck out five batters to win his second straight start. Chris Thomas allowed just a hit and struck out a batter while pitching a scoreless eighth inning, and Justin Thompson pitched around two ninth-inning hits while striking out a pair of batters and earned his seventh save of the season.

The Osprey (9-3, 27-23) scored first, breaking the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning as Pedro Ruiz singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, to third on a balk and scored on Jake Lamb one-out double down the right field line.

Missoula added a pair of runs with single tallies in the eighth inning, on a Evan Marzilli run-scoring single, and in the ninth, on a Danny Pulfer two-out RBI double.

Pulfer and Kevin Dultz each had two of Missoula's 10 hits, while Breland Almadova, Ty Linton and Michael Perez added base hits for the Osprey.