Range Riders pummel Rocky Mountain

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Pioneer League baseball season is over a week in, and the Glacier Range Riders are still scoring touchdowns.

Glacier (5-1) won the final three games of its opening series with the Rocky Mountain Vibes over the weekend, and they won them big: 13-7, 24-7 and 22-12 at UCHealth Park.

The Range Riders put up seven-run innings Saturday and Sunday, and on Memorial Day took leads of 16-0 and 22-3 before the Vibes (1-5) cranked out two home runs and scored nine times in the seventh.

Glacier has a travel day Tuesday, before starting a five-game series in Billings against the Mustangs on Wednesday. The Range Riders will be bringing the Pioneer League’s top offense back to Montana: Behind league-leading hitter Gabe Howell (.571), they are tops in average (.355), homers (10) and runs (74), and that was before Monday.

After Billings, Glacier will play six games in Great Falls before returning to Kalispell for its home opener, set for June 14 against Billings.

Range Riders 22, Vibes 12

Glacier rapped out 26 hits, with Flex Aberouette and Jared Fry both going 5-for-6 in the middle of the lineup.

Aberouette drove in seven runs and scored four times; he hit a two-homer in the first, a two-run double in the second, then drew a bases-loaded walk before hitting two RBI singles.

Fry drove in five runs, including a two-run double in the fourth.

Brody Wofford, Dean Miller and Howell all scored four runs each. Howell hit his fifth homer, and has a league-best 21 RBIs.

Brock Knoten started on the mound and threw three scoreless innings. He fanned two. Chandler Ingram, the fifth Glacier pitcher, had two scoreless innings as well. He gave up three hits and struck out one.

Range Riders 355 302 400 - 22 26 3

Vibes 000 021 900 - 12 15 1

Brock Knoten, Noah Barnes (4), Pierce Smith (7), Tyler Solomon (7), Chandler Ingram (8) and Felix Aberouette. Felipe Rodriguez, Victor Buelna (2), Tommy Caulfied (3), Yohandry Perez (6), Miguel Pozo (7) and Jeses Rabago.

RANGE RIDERS — Ben McConnnell 3-6, Gabe Howell 2-6, Brody Wofford 3-6, Dean Miller 2-4, Aberouette 5-6, Jared Fry 5-6, Michael Knell 1-6, Kevin Jordan 2-6, Ryan Cash 3-6.

VIBES — Gio Diaz 3-5, Paul Carreno 3-6, Julian Lara 1-2, Domonique Hermandez 2-5, UIysses Cantu 2-5, Eder Rosales 1-4, Miguel Tejada Jr. 1-5, Dalys Binder 1-5, Rabado 1-5, Jaasiel Ochoa 0-0, Caleb Marquez 0-1.

2B — Miller, Aberouette, Wofford, Fry, Knell, Carreno, Tejada Jr., Rabago. HR — Aberouette, Howell, Carreno, Hernandez.

RBIs — Aberouette 7, Fry 5, Howell 3, Wofford 2, Miller 2, Knell 2, Cash, Carreno 3, Rabago 3, Hernandez 2, Rosales, Diaz.

Late Sunday

Range Riders 24, Vibes 7

Dean Miller hit a grand slam and finished a single short of the cycle, and Gabe Howell hit his third and fourth homers while Glacier put up seven runs in the third and seventh innings.

Brody Wofford and Dean Miller also hit homers, and the Range Riders combined 17 hits with 11 walks issued by Vibes pitchers to score another rout.

Howell hit a solo homer in the fourth, Miller’s slam made it 17-3 in the seventh. In the ninth inning Howell hit a two-run bomb, then Wofford made it back-to-back homers followed with a solo shot.

Miller, who also had an RBI triple, and Howell each drove in five runs. Brandon Trammel had a triple and drove in three runs. Ben McConnell had two hits and scored five times.

Luke Laurita, the third of four pitchers, got the win with two innings of one-hit relief.

Range Riders 107 230 713 - 24 17 4

Vibes 100 020 004 - 7 15 5

Andrew Stout, Andrew Tri (4), Luke Laurita (7), Steven DePalma (9) and Fry. Jaasiel Ochoa, Garrett Alvarez (3), Johnny Morell (5), Aldo Villagomez (7), Kristian Samorano (7), Adrian Mardueno (9) and Julian Lara, Jesus Rabago (1).

RANGE RIDERS — McConnell 2-3, Howell 3-5, Wofford 1-4, Miller 3-7, Trammell 3-5, Noah Barros 0-0, Steinfort 0-0, DePalma 0-1, Ryan 0-3, Aberouette 0-1, Cash 1-3, Jordan 1-2, Fry 0-4, Broussard 1-2, Knell 2-3.

VIBES — Diaz 1-4, Perez 2-3, Rosales 1-1, Hernandez 3-5, Cantu 2-5, Tejada Jr., 0-5, Marquewz 2-5, Binder 1-4, Carreno 1-4, Lara 0-0, Rabago 2-4.

2B — Miller, Jordan, Binder. 3B — Miller, Trammell, Rosales. HR — Howell 2, Wofford, Miller. RBIs — Howell 5, Miller 5, Trammell 3, McConnell 2, Wofford 2, Broussard 2, Ryan, Cash, Jordan, Rosales 2, Marquez, Hernandez.

Late Saturday

Range Riders 13, Vibes 7

Wofford doubled, homered and drove in two runs and the Range Riders piled up seven runs in the fourth inning of this one.

Wofford hit his first homer in the first to put Glacier up for good, 1-0; he had three of his team’s 15 hits. Kevin Jordan, Brandon Trammell, Felix Aberouette and Brandt Broussard had two hits as well.

Wofford had an RBI double and Dean Miller and Jordan each had two-run doubles during the fourth-inning outburst. Jordan’s two-bagger Glacier up 11-1. Trammell, Aberouette also hit doubles.

Gabe Howell drew three walks and scored three times.

Logan Vanway started on the hill and gave up one run in three innings. The Vibes got their offense going — Caleb Marquez hit a two-run home run — against relievers Chris Allen and Reid Johnson. Outfielder Miguel Tejada, Jr., son of the 2002 American League MVP, had three hits and scored three runs for the Vibes.

Austin Steinfort, who threw a final scoreless inning, got the win.

Range Riders 112 700 011 - 13 15 14

Vibes 010 201 210 - 7 14 4

Logan Vanway, Chris Alen (4), Reid Johnson (7), Austin Steinfort and Aberouette.

Jesus Rios, Victor Buelna (4), Jose Mora (4), Adrian Marduano (8), Y. Perez (9) and Lara.

RANGE RIDERS — McConnell 1-5, Howsell 1-3, Wofford 3-5, Miller 1-6, Trammell 2-2, Ryan 1-3, KNell 0-5, Jordan 2-4, Cash 0-0, Aberouette 2-5, Broussard 2-5.

VIBES — Diaz 1-5, Perez 2-4, Hernandez 1-5, Cantu 2-5, Tejada Jr. 3-4, Marquez 2-4, Carreno 0-4, Lara 3-4, Rosales 0-4.

2B — Wofford, Miller, Trammell, Ryhanm, Jordan, Aberouette, Tejada Jr., Marquez, Lara. 3B — Aberouette. HR — Wofford, Marquez. RBIs — Wofford 2, Miller 2, Jordan 2, Aberouette, Broussard, Ryan, Knell, Hoiwell, McConnell, Marquez 3, Diaz, Tejada Jr.

Box scores and live game updates can be found at gorangeriders.com and pioneerleague.com.