Millan drives in 5 as Range Riders halt skid

Glacier's Jake Millan homered for the third time in two games, added a single during a nine-run fifth inning and the Range Riders trounced Long Beach 21-2 in Pioneer League baseball Thursday night to snap their losing streak at seven.

Millan's three-run home run, his 13th this season, put Glacier (5-16 this half) up 6-0 in the third inning.  The wheels came off for the Coast (15-6) in the fifth: Donovan Ratfield, Carson Garner and Jacob Steele all drew bases-loaded walks and the Range Riders complemented those with six RBI singles. The gap widened to 16-1. 

In the eighth Glacier tacked on five more runs, with Julian Sauger hitting his first home run, a solo shot, to start things off. Millan picked up his fifth RBI with his fourth hit, a single, and Logan Beard capped the rally with a two-run double. 

Millan scored four times and Garner, Rover and Steele came across three times while the Range Riders clubbed 25 hits. 

Long Beach got a solo home run from Emilio Corona. That was the only run off Glacier starting pitcher Aiden Elfering (5-4), who allowed seven hits and one walk in seven innings. He struck out eight.  

The teams continue their six-game series Friday night, with first pitch at Glacier Bank Park at 7:05 p.m. 

Long Beach    000    100    001    -    2    9    0 

Glacier    204    190    05x    -    21    25    1 

Nick Bautista, Jaxon Byrd (5), Jonathan Kozasky (5), Benjamin Rosengard (5), Johnn Pappas (9) and Cuba Bess, David Whittle (6). Aidan Elfering, Davis Pratt (8), Connor Housley (9) and Donovan Ratfield, Julian Sauger (8).  

LONG BEACH COAST — Eddy Pelc 0-4, Patrick Roche Jr. 2-5, Bess 0-3, Whittle 0-2, Matthew Bardowell 2-4, Cooper Vest 0-3, Emilio Corona 1-4, Jacob Jablonski 0-2, Tyler Young 1-2, Easton Jones 2-4, Robert PItts1-3. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Kyle Ashworth 3-6, Ratfield 1-4, Sauger 1-2, Brock Vradenburg 2-5, Carson Garner 3-4, Tommy Rover 3-4, Jacob Steele 4-5, Jake Millan 4-6, Andrew Collins 2-5, Logan Beard 2-5. 

2B — Steele, Beard. HR — Corona (17), Millan (13), Sauger (1). RBIs — Pelc, Corona, Millan 5, Garner 3, Collins 3, Steele 3, Beard 2, Ashworth, Ratfield, Sauger, Vradenburg, Rover. 

Late Wednesday

Coast 14, Range Riders 6

Emilio Corona had three hits, stole four bases, drove in four runs and scored four times to lead Long Beach Coast to the win.

Jake Millan provided ample fireworks for the Range Riders at Glacier Bank Park, hitting his team-leading 11th and 12th home runs. The first, a three-run shot, cut the Coast’s lead to 4-3 in the fifth inning; his solo shot in the sixth again cut the gap to one, 5-4. 

Long Beach put up four runs in both the eighth and ninth innings to pull away.  

Corona hit a two-run single in the eighth, stole second and third and came in on a Johnny Pappas single for a 10-4 lead. He has 35 steals — one behind league leader Alex Fernandes, who played 28 games for the Range Riders before signing with the Major League Athletics. 

After Millan hit an RBI single to bring the Range Riders to 10-6 in the bottom of the eighth, Corona clubbed a two-run double in the ninth. He scored the game’s final run on Jacob Jablonski’s double.  

Pappas stole three bases as well. 

Long Beach    000    401    144    -    14    18    1 

Glacier    000    031    020    -    6    11    0

Garrett VanDeventer, Ryan Faulks (5), Jaxon Byrd (6), Gary Grosjean (8), Jak Dixon (8), Steven Ordorica (9), Jonathan Kozasky (9) and David Whittle, Johnny Pappas (7). Jonah Giblin, William Bartkoski (4), Jared Engman (7), Gavin Johnston (7), Evan Langston (9) and Donovan Ratfield. 

LONG BEACH COAST — Eddy Pelc 3-5, Benjamin Rosenbard 3-5, Cuba Bess 0-6, Matthew Bardowell 3-6, Robert Pitts 0-0, Cooper Vest 1-5, Emelio Corona 3-5, Jacob Jablonski 2-4, Whittle 0-2, Easton Jones 1-1, Pappas 1-2, Anthony Mata 1-3. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Kyle Ashworth 1-5, Donovan Ratfield 1-5, Brock Vradenburg 1-4, Carson Garner 1-3, Carson Hornung 1-4, Tommy Rover 1-5, Jacob Steele 1-4, Jake Millan 3-4, Andrew Collins 1-3, Logan Beard 0-1. 

2B — Bardowell, Vest, Corona, Jablonski, Ratfield, Rover, Steele. 3B — Rosengard. HR — Millan 2 (12). RBIs — Corona 4, Pelc 2, Bardowell 2, Rosengard, Jablonski, Whittle, Jones, Pappas, Mata, Millan 4, Rover, Steele.