Range Riders lose 4th straight, fall to PaddleHeads

Charles Dean drove in four runs, and Missoula answered a late Glacier comeback in the ninth inning to defeat the Range Riders 7-3 on Saturday night in Pioneer League baseball at Glacier Bank Park.

Missoula (14-14) broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning when Dean launched a two-run homer to left field. The PaddleHeads added another run in the eighth on William Bermudez's solo shot to center, taking a 3-0 lead. 

Glacier (15-13) finally broke through in the bottom half. Donovan Ratfield drove in a run on a groundout before Carson Hornung lined a two-run double to left field, scoring Tommy Rover and Alex Fernandes to tie the game at three. 

The deadlock didn't last long. 

Missoula loaded the bases in the ninth before Bermudez singled home the go-ahead run. Nich Klemp followed with an RBI walk and Dean capped the inning with a two-run double to left field, giving the PaddleHeads a four-run cushion. 

Dean finished 2-for-5, including his third home run of the season, while Bermudez added his sixth homer and drove in two runs. 

Hornung drove in two runs for Glacier, while Logan Beard and Jacob Steele each collected two hits. Ratfield added an RBI and the Range Riders finished with seven hits. 

Reece Fields earned the win for Missoula, allowing no runs over five innings while striking out eight. 

Aidan Elfering allowed just two runs on four hits over 5 1-3 innings but fell to 2-4 on the season with the loss. Davis Pratt tossed 2 2-3 innings in relief, allowing one run on two hits. Both struck out four batters. 

The series concludes Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at Glacier Bank Park. 

Missoula    000    002    014    -    7    9    0 

Glacier    000    000    030    -    3    7    0

Reece Fields, Josh Johnson (6), Garrett Gores (8), Matthew Taubensee (9) and Sergio Gutierrez. Aidan Elfering, Davis Pratt (6), Jack Maruskin (8), Alex Bustamante (9), and Donovan Ratfield. 

MISSOULA PADDLEHEADS — William Bermudez 2-4, Nich Klemp 1-4, Enzo Apodaca 1-4, Charles Dean 2-5, Tyler Stone 0-5, Xavier Casserilla 0-4, Michael Koszewski 1-2, Gutierrez 1-4, Jeremy Piatkiewicz 1-2. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Alex Fernandes 0-3, Kyle Ashworth 0-2, Tommy Rover 0-3, Ratfield 1-4, Carson Hornung 1-3, Jacob Steele 2-3, Andrew Collins 1-4, Carson Garner 0-4, Logan Beard 2-4. 

2B — Dean. HR — Dean (3), Bermudez (6). Hornung. RBIs — Dean 4, Bermudez 2, Klemp. Hornung 2, Ratfield.