Hornung’s big hit pushes Riders past Ponies

Carson Hornung’s two-run single broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning and the Glacier Range Riders put away the Billings Mustangs 6-4 Tuesday for their first win of the Pioneer League’s second half.

The Range Riders (30-25, 1-6 this half) put together a complete game: They rallied from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1, got a solid start from pitcher Aidan Elfering and sterling relief from Lance Wade and Alex Bustamante.  

Elfering went five innings, allowing six hits, five walks and three earned runs. He fanned four. 

Wade threw two scoreless innings against the Mustangs (42-12, 6-1) and struck out two; Bustamante pitched the final two, fanning one and shaking off a solo home run from Cameron Bowen in the eighth.  

The fifth inning was key: Donovan Ratfield hit a one-out RBI double and Carson Garner followed with a sacrifice fly to knot the game at 3-3.  

In the sixth Jake Millan and Andrew Collins singled, moved up on Logan Beard’s groundout and came in on Hornung’s two-out base hit to center. 

Millan added an RBI single for a 6-3 lead in the seventh. 

The teams continue a three-game set at Glacier Bank Park on Wednesday. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. 

Billings    101    010    010    -    4    8    1 

Glacier    001    022    10x    -    6    10    0

Julian Garcia, Hayden Mullins (6), Caros Anziani (7), JJ Almeda (8) and Kyle Micklus. Aidan Elfering, Lance Wade (6), Alex Bustamante (8) and Donovan Ratfield. 

BILLINGS MUSTANGS — Cameron Bowen 1-4, Michael Soper 0-4, Jacob Gutierrez 3-5, Charlie Muniz 1-5, Adam Cootway 2-4, Nin Burns II 0-1, Micklus 1-3, Bodee Wright 0-4, AJ Shaver 0-4.  

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

2B — Ratfield, Beard. HR — Bowen (15). RBIs — Micklus 2, Bowen, Cootway, Hornung 2, Ratfield, Garner, Millan.