Range Riders outslug Chukars, PaddleHeads

Have lumber, will travel.

Jake Millan hit a pair of solo home runs, Donovan Ratfield hit a big three-run shot in the seventh inning and the Glacier Range Riders won their fourth straight game Thursday, 12-10 at Melaleuca Field in Idaho Falls. 

On Friday TJ Clarkson and Kingston Liniak homered in an 11-2 road win over the Missoula PaddleHeads at Ogren-Allegiance Field. 

With several new faces in the lineup, the Range Riders (8-8 this half of the Pioneer League) rapped out 29 hits over these last two games, separated by a four-hour bus ride. They own the league’s longest current win streak. 

Missoula (10-6 this half) and Glacier continued their three-game series Saturday night. 

Range Riders 12, Chukars 10

In Idaho Falls, Eli Paton added a triple and home run for the Range Riders, who hit four home runs while completing a three-game sweep. Jack Lynch hit his seventh, a solo shot, in the second inning.  

For the other three Range Riders — Paton out of Grand Canyon, Millan out of Florida Atlantic and Ratfield out of Nevada — it was their first professional home runs. 

Ratfield’s home run put the Range Riders up 11-6 in the seventh. Millan’s home runs came in the third and ninth innings. Paton hit a solo shot in the fifth. 

Glacier had to wiggle out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth. Two doubles got the Chukars (7-8) one run, before a walk and single put the tying run on first. Nick Zegna came on in relief with one out, struck out one batter, but then issued a bases-loaded walk to Garret Ostrander, who homered earlier.  

Zegna, the sixth Glacier pitcher, then struck out Eddie Pelc looking to end it. 

Glacier    041    012    301    -    12    14    2 

Idaho Falls    011    112    022    -    10    11    1 

Sean Brennan, Ethan O’Neal (5), Nicholas Ferazzi (6), Luke Cooper (7), Jason Franks (7), Nick Zegna (9) and Donovan Ratfield. Nathan Hemmerling, Julien Hernandez (6), Ryan Faulks (7), Jake Dixon (8), Jean Reyes (9) and Thomas McCaffrey. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — TJ Clarkson 2-4, John Mabry 1-5, Eli Paton 3-4, Xavier Casserilla 1-5, Jack Lynch 2-5, Jake Millan 3-5, Carson Garner 1-5, Ratfield 1-3, Kyle Ashworth 0-3. 

IDAHO FALLS CHUKARS — Tyler Wyatt 1-5, Benjamin Rosengard 4-5, Trevor Rogers 0-5, Simon Baumgardt 1-4, Jacob Jablonski 1-4, McCaffrey 1-5, Anthony Mata 0-0, Gabrel Vasque 1-1, Jacob Shanks 1-2, Garrett Ostrander 1-3, Eddie Pelc 0-4. 

2B — Clarkson, Garner, Rosengard 2, Baumgardt, Jablonski, Shanks. 3B — Paton, Wyatt. HR — Millan 2 (2), Lynch (7), Paton (1), Ratfield (1), Vasquez (11), Ostrander (8). RBIs — Ratfield 3, Paton 3, Clarkson 2, Millan 2, Mabry, Lynch, Ostrander 3, Vasquez 2, Rosengard, Baumgardt, Shanks.  

Friday

Range Riders 11, PaddleHeads 2 

In Missoula, Jared Engman and Davis Pratt combined on a four-hitter and Liniak had two RBI singles in addition to his solo home run in the fourth inning. 

Logan Beard and Paton hit RBI singles in the third inning as Glacier took the lead for good, 3-1; Liniak’s homer, which padded the club career record to 38, made it 4-2. 

Clarkson hit a solo homer to make it 5-2 in the fifth. 

The hits kept coming: Millan hit a two-run double and came in on Jack Lynch’s triple to put Glacier up 9-2 in the seventh; Liniak brought in Lynch with a single. 

Millan scored three runs and Clarkson and Berard each scored twice. 

Engman allowed three hits, including Roberto Pena’s league-leading 30th home run with one out in the first. He walked one and struck out eight in seven innings. 

Pratt threw two innings, allowing one hit and two walks. He fanned two. 

Glacier    003    111    401    -    11    15    0 

Missoula    101    000    000    -    2    4    1

Jared Engman, Davis Pratt (8) and Angel Mendoza. Matthew Sox, Arman Sabouri (7), Devyn Lopez (7) and Taylor Smith. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Clarkson 2-5, Beard 1-4, Paton 1-5, Millan 1-3, Lynch 3-5, Kingston Liniak 3-5, Garner 2-5, Howell 1-5, Mendoza 1-4. 

MISSOULA PADDLEHEADS — Colby Wilkerson 0-4, Roberta Pena 1-3, Colin Gordon 0-4, Adam Fogel 1-3, Kishon Frett 1-4, Leyton Barry 0-4, Smith 0-4, Jeremy Piatkiewicz 1-2, Alec Sanchez 0-3. 

2B — Beard, Millan, Lynch, Frett. 3B — Lynch, Howell. HR — Clarkson (10), Liniak (10), Pena (30). RBIs — Liniak 3, Millan 2, Clarkson, Beard, Lynch, Garner, Mendoza, Pena.