Shorthanded Range Riders fall, 6-4

The Glacier Range Riders were dangerously close to stacking wins, and then got another dose of bad luck.

Thursday saw the Great Falls Voyagers pick up four runs in the sixth inning and beat the Range Riders 6-4 at Flathead Field. The visitors have won the first three games in this six-game set. The Range Riders got a big game from Livingston Morris Thursday, and brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the ninth but fell short.

Things were looking better on Sunday, when Glacier had won for the third time in four nights. Then two of their more productive players, third baseman Dean Miller (.305 average, 10 homers) and outfielder Sam Linscott (.330), went down to injury.

“We found out this morning Sam broke his hand,” Glacier manager Nick Hogan said. “So the search continues to fill some roster spots.”

They filled one with shortstop Mason Dinesen, acquired from the Billings Mustangs for a player to be named later. Dinesen had three hits Thursday in his second game for Glacier.

The Range Riders never led. Riley Jepson hit a solo homer in the first to put Great Falls up 1-0; Glacier tied it when Ben McConnell singled, moved up on Ryan Cash’s grounder and scored on Morris’ screaming single that hit the wall in left.

Then came the sixth, when Great Falls touched reliever Drew Holweer (1-1) for four runs, three earned. Holweger’s throwing error on a swinging bunt didn’t help, but Derek Kolbush’s two-run double was the big blow.

Down 5-1, Brody Wofford ambushed a first-pitch fastball for his 16th homer to lead off Glacier’s half of the sixth. Brandt Broussard’s hustle double drove in a run in the same inning and cut it to 5-3.

Glacier came no closer; Eddie McCabe hit a solo homer in the eighth to cut it to 6-4, and he came to the plate with two runners on in the ninth, but hit into a force play.

The teams battle again Friday at 7:05 p.m.

Glacier is short-handed: Linscott is done for the year; Miller’s return is questionable.

“For his personal well-being, and what’s best for his career, we’re going to shut him down,” Hogan said of Linscott. Of Miller, he added, “There’s something going on with his wrist. Doctors are still trying to figure it out. I think it was bothering him. He doesn’t say anything so it’s hard to get a bead on it. For him to tell me it’s been killing him, it must have been hurting him.”

Wednesday

Voyagers 6, Range Riders 3

Christopher Monroe’s RBI single in the seventh gave Great Falls the lead for good, and Collin Runge’s two-run homer in the eighth gave the Voyagers some breathing room Wednesday.

Eddie McCabe staked the Range Riders to a 2-0 lead with his two-run double in the first inning. Livingston Morris hit his 11th home run (in just 185 at-bats) in the seventh, a solo shot that cut the gap to 4-3. But the Voyagers answered right back with Runge’s ninth homer of the year.

Glacier was outhit 11-4, with Breonn Pooler (3-2) setting down after the first inning to throw six complete. He walked none and struck out seven.

Voyagers 000 200 220 - 6 11 0

Riders 200 000 100 - 3 4 2

Breonn Pooler, Brad Demco (7), Montana Quigley (9) and William Olson. Kevin Kyle, Dawson Day (6), Nathan Thomas (8), Austin Steinfort (9) and Austin Bates. W — Pooler (3-2). L — Day (0-2). S — Quigley (10).

GREAT FALLS VOYAGERS — Daniel 1-4, Malec 1-4, Jepson 1-5, Kolbush 2-5, Monroe 2-5, Deeb 1-4, DeGuzman 0-4, REunge 1-2.

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — McConnell 0-4, Cash 1-3, Linscott 0-0, Broussard 0-3, Wofford 0-3, McCabe 1-4, Morris 1-4, Cole 0-4, Dinesen 1-3, Bates 0-3.

2B — Olson 2, Jepson, Monroe, McCabe, Dinesen. HR — Runge (9), Morris (11). RBIs—Olons 2, Runge 2, Monroe, McCabe 2, Morris. CS — Daniel, Malec.