Beard's 9th-inning HR lifts Riders Tuesday
Daily Inter Lake | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 7 months AGO
MISSOULA — Glacier second baseman Logan Beard broke a ninth-inning tie with a three-run home run, and the Range Riders upended Missoula 11-8 in a Pioneer League baseball game Tuesday.
Beard drove in five runs for the Range Riders (5-2), two with a second-inning single that put his team up 2-1. Angel Mendoza and JD McLaughlin also drove in a run before the inning ended, and sacrifice flies from Kenneth Levari and TJ Clarkson helped grow the lead to 7-1 in the fourth.
Missoula roared back, scoring six straight runs to make up an 8-2, sixth-inning deficit. Nicholas Klemp singled and Taylor Smith doubled, each driving in a run, to start the rally.
In the eighth two PaddleHeads drew walks ahead of Roberto Pena’s two-run double that knotted her up at 8-all.
Luke Cooper took over on the bump for Glacier, walked a batter and then got a double-play to end that threat.
That set the stage for Beard, who came up with one out and Gavin Tonkel (single) and Efrain Manzo (walk) on base. The Louisville product socked his first professional home run to left.
Cooper retired Missoula in order in its half of the ninth, two by strikeout, to claim the win.
The teams continued their six-game set at Ogren-Allegience Park on Wednesday.