Range Riders rally past Mobiles in 8th inning

Down to their last six outs, the Glacier Range Riders scored a touchdown.

Alex Fernandes hit a two-run single to highlight Glacier’s seven-run eighth inning, and the Range Riders rallied past the RedPocket Mobiles 11-8 in Pioneer League baseball Thursday at Glacier Bank Park. 

Fernandes, who hit a solo home run earlier in the game, put the Range Riders (19-14) up for good, 9-8. Donovan Ratfield’s double started the eighth-inning rally, which included a Tommy Rover single and three straight walks issued by Mobiles pitchers. Carson Garner and Logan Beard drew the last two, forcing in two runs. 

Andrew Collins’ pinch-hit RBI single cut what was an 8-4 deficit to 8-7. Fernandes was next up and hit an 0-1 pitch to left. Collins scored while Fernandes stole second, drawing an errant throw; Fernandes came in on Carson Hornung’s RBI single. 

Garner had staked the Range Riders to a 3-1 lead with his fourth home run of the season in the second inning; Fernandes second homer put Glacier up 4-2 in the third. 

The Mobiles (7-26) tied the game in the fourth (Kishon Frett two-run homer), went ahead on Justin Johnson’s RBI grounder in the fifth and got a two-run single from Marco Martinez in a three-run seventh. 

Three relievers combined to throw 2 2-3 innings of scoreless relief for Glacier. Jack Maruskin worked around a single and a walk in the ninth, striking out two. 

RedPocket    101    210    300    -    8    14    1 

Glacier    031    000    07x    -    11    10    0

Blayne Huter, Wyatt Adams (7), Ethan Ross (8), Robbi Coronado (8) and Andy Valdes. Evan Langston, Alex Jankowski (6), Jacob Hasty (7), D.Charron (8), Jack Maruskin (9) and Johnny Leutzow. 

REDPOCKET MOBILES – Braylon Bishop 2-4, Spence Coffman 1-5, Hector Nieves 2-2, Justin Johnston 1-4, Josiah Chavez 1-4, Valdes 1-5, Kishon Frett 2-4, Marco Martines 2-4, Marquis Jackson 2-4, Jordan Harrison-Dudley 0-0, Maury Weaver 0-0. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS – Joe McLaughlin 0-0, Alex Fernandes 2-5, Donovan Ratfield 1-4, Carson Hornung 2-4, Kyle Ashworth 0-3, Jacob Steele 0-0, Jake Millan 0-2, Carson Garner 2-3, Logan Beard 0-3, Tommy Rover 1-5, Johnny Luetzow 1-2, Andrew Collins 1-1. 

2B — Bishop, Ratfield. HR — Frett (3), Garner (4), Fernandes (3). RBIs — Nieves 2, Johnson 2, Frett 2, Martinez 2, Garner 4, Fernandes 3, Hornung, Beard, Collins.