Range Riders erase four-run deficit before falling 3-2 in Knockout
LUKE SCHMIT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 2 weeks AGO
SPORTS REPORTER, KEEPING SCORE AND BIG SKY NOW PODCAST HOST Luke Schmit leads the charge on our local and regional sports podcast shows. His coverage includes regional and college athletics connected to Montana and the broader Big Sky Conference. Schmit reports on major games, athletes, and sports trends affecting teams across the region. He also contributes interviews, analysis, and multimedia coverage for digital audiences. His reporting helps readers stay connected to the teams and athletes that shape Montana sports. IMPACT: Luke’s work brings readers closer to the teams and athletes that define Montana’s sports culture. | July 8, 2026 12:00 AM
Nine innings weren't enough.
The Glacier Range Riders erased a four-run deficit Tuesday night but fell short, dropping a 3-2 Pioneer League knockout-round to the Ogden Raptros after the teams finished tied 11-11 through nine innings at Glacier Bank Park on Tuesday night.
Ogden’s Colson Lawrence edged Brock Vradenburg in the deciding matchup to send the Raptors dugout into celebration.
The loss ended Glacier’s four-game winning streak. Ogden improved to 26-17.
Ogden grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning before Glacier (27-16) responded. Alex Fernandes lined an RBI single to bring in the first run in the bottom half, before Brock Vradenburg’s sacrifice fly tied the game in the third. Tommy Rover followed with a two-run single, giving Glacier a 4-2 lead.
The Raptors' biggest punch came in the fourth inning with seven runs. Carmine Lane drove in two with a single, and Giuseppe Ferraro-Nahr added a two-run double, giving Ogden a 9-5 advantage.
Glacier chipped away the rest of the way and the bullpen held Ogden to two runs over the final five innings.
Donovan Ratfield led off the bottom of the fourth with his third homer of the season before Kyle Ashworth ripped a two-run single in the fifth to pull the Range Riders within one. McLaughlin tied the game at 9-9 with an RBI single in the sixth and gave the Range Riders a lead in the eighth with another RBI single. Jacob Steele added a sacrifice-fly to give Glacier a 11-9 lead.
But just like the game played all evening, Ogden responded with a RBI from Greico and a wild pitch to force the Knockout Round.
Ashworth finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs, while Steele went 3 for 3. McLaughlin collected two hits and two RBIs, as Glacier totaled 14 hits.
Both teams continue their six-game series on Wednesday, with first pitch set at 6:35 p.m.
Ogden 020 700 002 - 11 10 1
Glacier 014 121 020 - 11 14 1
Ogden wins in knockout round.
Caleb Bunch, Nolan Ficklin (5), Carson Kelly (6), Kyle Lewis (7), Kaden Kneip (8), Landon Riley (9) and Dylan Wilkinson. Ricky Tibbett, Ryan Humphreys (4), Evan Langston (4), Jacob Hasty (7), Lance Wade (8), Connor Housley (9) and Donovan Ratfield.
OGDEN RAPTORS — Chase Valentine 1-4, Garrett Bevacqua 2-4, Carmine Lane 3-4, Giuseppe Ferraro-Nahr 1-4, Colson Lawrence 0-3, Sebastian Grecio 1-4, Cole Jordan 2-5, Kyler Stancato 0-3, Wilkinson 0-4.
GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Alex Fernandes 2-5, Kyle Ashworth 3-4, Ratfield 1-5, Carson Hornung 2-5, Carson Garner 0-4, Brock Vradenburg 0-2, JD McLaughlin 2-4, Tommy Rover 1-4, Jacob Steele 3-3.
2B — Grecio, Ferraro-Nahr. Steele. HR — Ratfield (3). RBIs — Grecio 2, Stancato 2, Ferraro-Nahr 2, Lane 2, Valentine, Wilkinson. McLaughlin 2, Rover 2, Ashworth 2, Ratfield, Vradenburg, Fernandes, Steele.
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