Voyagers top Riders with late HR
Colton Runge’s ninth-inning homer gave the visiting Great Falls Voyagers a 12-11 win over the Glacier Range Riders in a divisional Pioneer League game Wednesday at Flathead Field.
Great Falls drew first blood in the high-scoring affair with Evan McCabe’s home run that scored three other players.
Sam Linscott’s double scored Ben McConnell and Brandt Broussard in the second inning, and the Riders added two more runs (including one by Linscott) to lead 5-4 going into the third.
A triple from Great Falls’s Adam Oviedo scored three runners and the Voyagers led 7-5.
Linscott doubled again in the bottom of the fifth, scoring Broussard; then the Riders tied it after Gabe Howell’s groundout scored McConnell.
Great Falls took a two-run lead in the top of the sixth. Livingston Morris cut that in half with a homer to center field in the bottom of the sixth, but the Voyagers again led by two after an Oviedo run in the top of the seventh.
Linscott, who was also 4-for-6 at the plate, scored his third run of the game for the Riders (11-14) to make it 10-9.
After the Voyagers (16-11) went up two runs again in the eighth, 11-9, Broussard hit a right field single and got to second base, which scored Vinny Bologna, then a McConnell groundout provided a Ryan Cash run to tie it 11-11.
Runge hit a homer to left field in the ninth. Glacier’s Dean Miller was walked (Isaiah Henry pinch ran for Miller), and then Henry told second. Morris flew out to center field and Austin McNicholas grounded out to end the game.
Voyagers pitcher Breon Pooler struck out three batters in 3.2 innings. Relief pitcher Montana Quigley took the win.
Glacier’s Dawson Day struck out five of 23 batters in four innings.
At press time, Thursday’s contest was still in progress, with Great Falls leading Glacier 3-1.
Great Falls 403 002 111 — 12 16 1
Glacier 140 021 120 — 11 15 0
Breon Pooler, Anthony Becerra-Lopez (4), Alexander Castro (7) and Montana Quigley (8). Dawson Day, John Beuckelaere (5), Drew Holweger (7), and Austin Steinfort (9).
W — Quigley. L — Steinfort.
VOYAGERS — Breydon Daniel 1-6, Jake Malec 2-6, Collin Runge 3-5, Derek Kolbush 2-5, L Polanko 0-2, W. Olson 2-3, CJ Grant-Debose 0-0, Eddie McCabe 2-5, Tavis Brunson 0-4, Myles McKisic 1-3, Adam Oviedo 3-3.
RANGE RIDERS — Ben McConnell 1-4, Sam Linscott 4-6, Gabe Howell 2-6, Brody Wofford 2-3, Dean Miller 0-1, Isaiah Henry 0-0, Livingston Morris 1-6, Austin McNicholas 0-4, Luis Trevino 1-1, Vinny Bologna 0-0, Justin Mazzone 3-5, Ryan Cash 0-2, Brandt Broussard 1-2.
2B — Runge, Kolbush, Olson (2), Linscott (2), Wofford, Mazzone. 3B — Oviedo. HR — Runge, McCabe, Linscott, Morris, Mazzone. RBI — Runge (2), Kolbush, Olson, McCabe (4), Brunson, Oviedo (3), McConnell, Linscott (4), Howell, Wofford, Miller, Morris, Mazzone, Broussard. SAC — McConnell.