Range Riders walk it off
JOSH AMICK | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months AGO
Glacier celebrates around Drew Sims after Sims' game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier's Drew Sims (25) drives in TJ Clarkson in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 win over Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier shortstop Gabe Howell (10) puts the tag on Great Falls' Luis Moreno (1) trying to steal second base at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier shortstop Gabe Howell (10) puts the tag on Great Falls' Luis Moreno (1) trying to steal second base at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier starting pitcher Noah Owen (14) delivers against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier second baseman Kenny Levari (1) charges a ground ball against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Great Falls right fielder Freddy Rojas Jr. (23) makes a catch at the wall against Glacier at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier third baseman Xavier Casserilla (21) throws to first for an out against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier's Gabe Howell (10) connects on an RBI double in the second inning against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier second baseman Kenny Levari (1) charges a ground ball against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier right fielder TJ Clarkson (13) squeezes a line drive against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Fireworks filled the sky at Glacier Bank Park after the season opener for the Glacier Range Riders, but it was Drew Sims who provided the show, sending a raucous crowd home happy.
Tied 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth, TJ Clarkson laced an opposite field double to get the winning run in scoring position before Sims also went the other way for a base hit, scoring Clarkson for the walk-off win, 6-5 over the Great Falls Voyagers.
“I was looking for a pitch I can hit, and I got a fastball over the plate, so I hit it,” Clarkson said.
In an offseason full of changes with the hiring of manager Todd Pratt and roster turnover, it was Clarkson and Sims who delivered. Both players were part of the playoff team last season, with Clarkson joining the team late in the year and Sims apart of the team for the last couple of seasons.
It was a welcoming sign for Sims. After missing all of 2023 with an UCL injury and in 2024 dealing with the transition from catcher to first base, he delivered the game-winning hit.
“This team has a different feel, but I feel like we are already pretty close,” Clarkson said. “We lost a couple of guys, but we are still a really good team and that’s what counts.”
Great Falls (0-1) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a Freddy Rojas Jr. home run. Glacier responded in its half of the inning with RBI singles from Clarkson and a fielder’s choice RBI from Sims to tie the game.
The Voyagers plated two more runs in the second inning on a walk and three straight singles before the Range Riders responded with three runs of their own in their half to take a 5-4 lead.
Kenny Levari and Gabe Howell doubled, scoring Levari, before Kingston Liniak and Clarkson were hit by pitches to load the bases. Once again Sims delivered with a 2-run single.
It was the first win for Pratt as manager after spending the last three months of the offseason preparing for this moment.
“It was a very clean game, and you could see the athleticism on this team like we talked about,” Pratt said. “Big hit by Sims and TJ comes around to score...Game Over.”
Returning Range Rider Noah Owen took the bump for Glacier (1-0) and after a rough first couple of innings settled down and held the Voyagers scoreless over three frames. His final line was eight hits allowed, four earned runs with five Ks across five innings.
The combination of Davis Pratt and Luke Cooper pitched the final four frames, allowing four hits and one earned run, with Cooper earning the win.
“It wasn’t really based off the matchups, I just went with our key guys,” Pratt said. “Pratt and Cooper both came in and did a great job. I don’t have any complaints; it was a clean game.”
Clarkson reached base in all four at-bats, going 2-for-2 with a double, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. The longest-tenured Range Riders, Howell and Liniak, scored three runs and drove in one. Sims finished with two hits and four RBIs.
Also returning for the Range Riders from last season was JD McLaughlin, who set the tone out of the leadoff spot, scoring a run and collecting two hits. Newcomer Levari finished with a double and a run scored.
The Range Riders are back in action tomorrow at Glacier Bank Park with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
G-Falls 220 000 100 - 5 12 3
Glacier 230 000 001 - 6 9 0 \
Jason Pineda (5), Cj Czerwinski (9) and Jeff Nicol. Noah Owen (5), Davis Pratt (6), Luke Cooper (9) and Angel Mendoza.
GREAT FALLS VOYAGERS — Armando Albert 1-5, Riley Preece 1-3, Freddy Rojas Jr. 3-4, Roman Kuntz 4-5, Devin Hurdle 0-4, Tommy Specht 0-4, Christian Hall 1-3, Jeff Nicol 0-4, Kody Putnam 1-4.
GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — JD McLaughlin 2-5, Gabe Howell 2-5, Kingston Liniak 0-3, TJ Clarkson 2-2, Drew Sims 2-5, Xavier Casserilla 0-3, Efrain Manzo 0-4, Angel Mendoza 0-3, Kenneth Levari 1-4.
2B — Kuntz, Clarkson, Howell, Levari. HR — Rojas Jr. (1). RBIs — Rojas Jr 3, Kuntz. Sims 4, Clarkson, Howell.
Glacier's Drew Sims (25) drives in TJ Clarkson in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 win over Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier shortstop Gabe Howell (10) puts the tag on Great Falls' Luis Moreno (1) trying to steal second base at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier shortstop Gabe Howell (10) puts the tag on Great Falls' Luis Moreno (1) trying to steal second base at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier starting pitcher Noah Owen (14) delivers against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier second baseman Kenny Levari (1) charges a ground ball against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Great Falls right fielder Freddy Rojas Jr. (23) makes a catch at the wall against Glacier at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier third baseman Xavier Casserilla (21) throws to first for an out against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier's Gabe Howell (10) connects on an RBI double in the second inning against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier second baseman Kenny Levari (1) charges a ground ball against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier right fielder TJ Clarkson (13) squeezes a line drive against Great Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday, May 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
ARTICLES BY JOSH AMICK
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