Vradenburg's grand slam powers Range Riders

GREAT FALLS — Brock Vradenburg broke open a tie game with a grand slam in the fifth inning as the Glacier Range Riders defeated the Great Falls Voyagers 12-3 Tuesday night in Pioneer League baseball. 

Glacier (23-14) and Great Falls (14-23) were tied 2-2 through four innings before the Range Riders erupted for six runs in the fifth. Donovan Ratfield started the rally with an RBI double, Carson Garner drew a bases-loaded walk and Vradenburg followed with the big swing to right field. 

The Range Riders added two more runs in the sixth on RBI hits from Tommy Rover and Garner before Garner and Joe McLaughlin each drove in a run in the eighth. 

Vradenburg finished with four RBIs, while Garner drove in three. Rover collected three hits, and Ratfield and McLaughlin each added two as Glacier totaled 13 hits. 

Zach Longshore earned the win, allowing two runs on six hits over six innings. Lance Wade and Ricky Tibbett combined to allow one run over the final three innings as Glacier opened its series in Great Falls with the victory. 

Glacier    020    062    020    -    12    13    0 

Great Falls    001    100    001    -    3    8    1

Zach Longshore, Lance Wade (7), Ricky Tibbett (9) and Donovan Ratfield. Jordan Hamberg, Eumir Sepulveda (5), Kevin Worek (7), Clay Thompson (9) and Antonio Barranca. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Alex Fernandes 1-4, Tommy Rover 3-5, Ratfield 2-5, Carson Hornung 0-4, Kyle Ashworth 0-1, Carson Garner 2-3, Brock Vradenburg 2-5, Joe McLaughlin 2-5, Jake Millan 1-4, Andrew Collins 0-1, Jacob Steele 0-3. 

GREAT FALLS VOYAGERS — Zack Blaszak 0-4, Will Rogers 1-4, Tommy Specht 1-4, Kyle Schmack 1-4, Trey Cruz 2-4, Ethan Ott 0-4, Anthony Swenda 1-3, Barranca 1-3, Vincent Temesvary 1-4. 

2B — Fernandes, Ratfield, McLaughlin, Millan. Cruz 2, Rogers, Swenda, Specht. HR — Vradenburg (). RBIs — Vradenburg 4, Garner 3, McLaughlin 2, Rover, Ratfield, Millan. Rogers, Cruz, Swenda.