PaddleHeads top Range Riders for 6th straight win
Daily Inter Lake | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 2 hours, 27 minutes AGO
MISSOULA — The Glacier Range Riders surrendered an early three-run lead Tuesday night, falling 10-7 to the Missoula PaddleHeads in the opener of a three-game Pioneer League series at Ogren Park.
Glacier (29-20) wasted little time getting on the board. Brock Vradenburg lined an RBI single in the first inning before Donovan Ratfield launched a two-run homer to left, his fourth of the season, for a 3-0 lead.
Missoula (25-22) responded with seven straight runs.
In the second, the PaddleHeads forced multiple walks to score, and a hit batter tied the game before Bryce Cermenelli drew a bases-loaded walk to put Missoula ahead. They added three more in the third to extend the lead to 7-3.
Glacier attempted to chip away but couldn't get over the hump.
Tommy Rover doubled home Carson Garner in the fifth, Kyle Ashworth drove in a run with a high chopper to the pitcher in the sixth, and Andrew Collins added an RBI groundout in the seventh. Vradenburg reached on an error in the eighth to trim the deficit to 9-7.
Ratfield finished 2-for-5 and knocked in two runs, while Vradenburg added two as well.
Yukumoto collected two hits and two RBIs for Missoula, as the Paddleheads won their sixth game in a row.
The series continues Wednesday with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m.
Glacier 300 011 110 - 7 7 1
Missoula 043 020 01x - 10 9 4
Ricky Tibbett, Evan Langston (2), Ryan Humphreys (4), Jacob Hasty (6), Davis Pratt (7) and Donovan Ratfield. Jaren Jackson, Brock Lambert (6), Josh Johnson (7), Matthew Taybensee (8), and Sergio Gutierrez.
GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Kyle Ashworth 1-6, Joe McLaughlin 0-5, Carson Garner 1-5, Brock Vradenburg 1-4, Ratfield 2-5, Tommy Rover 1-4, Jacob Steele 0-4, Andrew Collins 0-3, Logan Beard 1-1.
MISSOULA PADDLEHEADS —Michael Koszewski 1-3, William Bermudez 1-3, Nich Klemp 0-4, Gutierrez 0-4, Cermenelli 0-2, Derick Andiarena 1-5, Enzo Apodaca 2-4, Jeremy Piatkiewicz 2-3, Ty Yukumoto 2-3.
2B — Rover. Koszewski, Piatkiewicz, Yukumoto. 3B — Apodaca. HR — Ratfield (4). RBIs — Vradenburg 2, Ratfield 2, Rover, Ashworth, Collins. Bermudez 2, Yukumoto 2, Joszewski, Klemp, Gutierrez, Cermenelli, Piatkiewicz.