Pioneer League: PaddleHeads outslug Riders

MISSOULA — The Glacier Range Riders exploded for 14 runs Sunday afternoon, but were trumped again by the Missoula Paddleheads, who used a 15-run inning to claim a 22-14 Pioneer League win.

The scorefest was 3-2 in favor of the Range Riders before the North Division-leading PaddleHeads (31-10) sent 20 men to the plate in the fourth inning.

McClain O’Connor, who scored four times, had an RBI single and a two-run homer, his sixth, in the rally; Jayson Newman and Nick Gatewood each hit a pair of RBI singles; Brandon Riley hit a bases-loaded triple; and Keaton Greenwalt, who had four hits, contributed a two-run double.

Cameron Thompson’s RBI single capped the burst and made it 17-3.

That was more than enough offense — though Missoula’s Newman later hit his league-leading 17th homer — to offset three crooked numbers put up by Range Riders (13-27), who continue to hit.

Ben McConnell led off the game with a solo home run, his second. A sac fly from Dean Miller and RBI single by Livingston Morris had Glacier up 3-0.

The Range Riders put up six runs in the fifth, with Morris and Eli McCabe each hitting RBI doubles.

In the eighth inning Glacier’s Sam Linscott slugged a three-run homer, his fourth, and Brenton Davis hit an RBI single; Linscott added an RBI single in the ninth.

It was the ninth straight win for Missoula, including a 5-4 win over Glacier Saturday night; the last six victories came over the Range Riders.

Saturday

PaddleHeads 5,

Range Riders 4

Glacier held a 4-3 lead before Nick Gatewood doubled to lead off Missoula’s eighth inning; after Nick Cicci was hit by a pitch, Gatwood came all the way around from second on a wild pitch to tie the game.

Cicci moved to third on the play and came in on Kamron Willman’s sacrifice fly.

The Range Riders went down in order in the ninth.

Brody Wofford hit a two-run double in the first inning for Glacier, and Livingston Morris had an RBI single in the third.