Range Riders bang out 19 hits, rout Chukars

by Daily Inter Lake
| August 18, 2023 12:00 AM

IDAHO FALLS — Gabe Howell and Matt Clayton homered, and the Glacier Range Riders rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to rout Idaho Falls 15-6 Wednesday in Pioneer League baseball.

Mark Herron, Jr., hit a three-run home run in the first inning to help the Chukars to that early lead, but the Range Riders (10-15 this half) scored 14 of the next 15 runs.

Howell hit a solo homer, his 16th, in the first inning, and his sacrifice fly in the fifth put Glacier up for good 6-5. A pair of Idaho Falls (11-15) errors helped the Range Riders score four times in that inning; doubles by Benjamin Fitzgerald and Ben Huber and a triple by Colin Gordon led to five more runs and a 13-5 lead in the eighth.

Clayton hit his 11th homer, a two-run shot, in the top of the ninth.

Huber had four hits, including two doubles, and scored three times; Gordon also had three hits and scored three times. Fitzgerald hit two doubles among his three hits and Christian Kirtley also had three knocks.

Starting pitcher Jonathan Clark was chased in the fourth inning, but the Range Riders bullpen put together 5 2-3 innings of four-hit relief. Jonathan Pintaro got eight outs and the victory, improving to 5-4.

The teams battled again Thursday night at Melaleuca Field, the third game in this six-game series.

Riders 100 340 052 - 15 19 0

Chukars 410 000 010 - 6 11 2

Jonathan Clark, Jonathan Pintaro (4), Connor Housley (7), Luke Dawson (8), John Natoli (9) and Matt Clayton. Dylan Gotto, Dusty Baird (5), Darrien Williams (7), Jack Zigan (8), Robbie Brown (8). WP — Pintaro (5-4). LP — Gotto (2-4).

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Gabe Howell 3-4, Mason Dinesen 0-6, Dean Miller 1-5, Christian Kirtley 3-5, Matt Clayton 1-5, Benjamin Fitzgerald 3-6, Ben Huber 4-4, Colin Gordon 3-5, Kingston Liniak 1-4.

IDAHO FALLS CHUKARS — Bryce Brown 1-2, Sam Troyer 1-5, Michael Kohn 1-3, Trevor Halsema 0-3, Mark Herron Jr. 2-5, Stephen Cullen 2-5, Jordan Myrow 1-3, Anthony Frechette 2-4, Brandon Bohning 1-4.

2B — Fitzgerald 2, Huber 2, Gordon, Troyer, Bohning. 3B — Gordon. HR — Howell, Clayton, Brown (3), Herron Jr. (10). RBIs — Howell 3, Clayton 2, Huber 2, Gordon 2, Liniak 2, Dinesen, Miller, Fitzgerald, Herron Jr. 3, Brown, Kohn, Bohning.