PaddleHeads rally to KO Range Riders Thursday
Daily Inter Lake | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 2 hours, 20 minutes AGO
MISSOULA — It was another tough loss for the Glacier Range Riders Thursday, who led Missoula 8-0 before the PaddleHeads eventually won via Knockout Round in a game that was 12-12 after nine innings.
Nich Klemp, who hit his 15th home run earlier in the game for Missoula (3-0 this half), won the KO Round 1-0 over Jake Millan of Glacier (0-3). Klemp hit a solo home run in the fifth inning that started the PaddleHeads back from a 9-2 deficit.
Missoula narrowed the gap to 9-6 by the end of the inning on a two-run homer from Sergio Gutierrez, then pulled ahead 12-11 with a six-run seventh inning. Klemp capped that rally with an RBI single off Glacier's second pitcher of the inning, Davis Pratt.
Donovan Ratfield brought Glacier back into a 12-12 deadlock with an RBI single that scored Jacob Steele in the eighth inning. Neither team scored from there — though Missoula reliever Matthew Taubensee walked the bases loaded in the ninth — to bring on the home run derby-style tiebreaker employed by the Pioneer League.
Carson Garner drove in three runs with two singles while Glacier built that early lead; JD McLaughlin's two-run single made it 4-0 in the first inning and Brock Vradenburg's two-run home run made it 8-0 in the fourth.
On Friday the Range Riders start a three-game series with the host Billings Mustangs.
Glacier 401 311 110 - 12 20 2
Missoula 000 240 600 - 12 18 1
Aidan Elfering, Jacob Hasty (7), Davis Pratt (7), Alex Bustamante (8) and Johnn Luetzow, Donovan Ratfield (8). Cameron Goffar, Connor Brinson (5), Josh Johnson (6), Peyton Walters (7), Brock Lambert (8), Matthew Taubensee (9) and Sergio Guitierrez.
GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Kyle Ashworth 3-5, Tommy Rover 4-5, Carson Garner 3-5, Brock Vradenburg 2-6, JD McLaughlin 3-5, Jake Millan 1-4, Jacobe Steele 3-5, Logan Beard 0-3, Johnny Luetzow 4-0, Donovan Ratfield 1-1.
MISSOULA PADDLEHEADS — Michael Koszewski 0-4, Nich Klemp 3-6, Bryce Cermenelli 2-5, Xavier Casserilla 4-5, Enzo Apodaca 2-4, Derick Andiarena 1-4, Daniel Tauken 1-1, Sergia Gutierrez 2-5, Jeremy Piatkiewicz 0-3, Ty Yukumoto 3-5.
2B — Steele 2, Ashworth, Rover, Millan, Apodaca, Yukumoto. 3B — McLaughlin. HR — Vradenburg (5), Klemp (15), Gutierrez (4). RBIs — Garner 3, Vradenburg 2, McLaughlin 2, Ashworth, Rover, Millan, Steele, Ratfield, Gutierrez 3, Andiarena 2, Klemp 2, Yukumoto 2, Koszewski.