Raptor pitchers hold Range Riders for win
Glacier Range Riders starting pitcher Rob Hamby (33) delivers to the Ogden Raptors' Reese Alexiades (7) in the first inning at Glacier Bank Park on Wednesday, July 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier third baseman Jackson Raper (14) fires to first base for an out in the fifth inning against the Ogden Raptors at Glacier Bank Park on Wednesday, July 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Matt Clayton (11) watches a solo home run in the third inning against the Ogden Raptors at Glacier Bank Park on Wednesday, July 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier second baseman Mason Dinesen (23) charges a slow-roller and throws to first to end the inning in the top of the second against the Ogden Raptors at Glacier Bank Park on Wednesday, July 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
A day after shutting down the Ogden Raptors 2-1, the Glacier Range Riders saw their offense stymied in a 3-1 Pioneer League loss Wednesday at Glacier Bank Park.
Sal Gozzo’s RBI double in the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie and the Raptors, who lead the South Division, made it stand up with sterling relief behind starting pitcher Mitchell Stone (3-4).
Foster Pace, Adam Scoggins and Dan Kubiuk all got a scoreless inning, and Kubiak picked up his fifth save.
That offset a nice performance by the Glacier staff, led by starter Rob Hamby: He threw six solid innings, alloning seven hits, two walks and two runs. He struck out three.
Stone was tighter, allowing just three hits, two walks and Matt Clayton’s solo homer in the third inning — his fifth of the season.
Stone also struck out 10 Range Riders, and Glacier fanned 14 times overall. Yet when Clayton singled to lead off the ninth inning, the tying run was at the plate for the Range Riders.
But Kubiuk fanned Mason Denesen, Ben McConnell and Gabe Howell to strand pinch-runner Sam Linscott at third.
Ogden got an RBI single from Rafael Narea in the second inning and an RBI groundout from Logan Williams in the seventh.
McConnell stole his 19th base Wednesday, secondi in the league to Ogden’s Reese Alexiades — who had two steals to run his total to 25.
It was just the fifth loss in 18 games at Flathead Field for the Range Riders (22-15), who took two of three from the Raptors (24-14). On Monday Glacier outslugged the Raptors 12-9, getting home runs from Kingston Liniak, Dean Miller and Dinesen.
Liniak and Benjamin Fitzgerald share the team home run lead with seven.
Glacier heads to Billings to open a three-game set with the Mustangs starting Thursday at 6:35 p.m., at Dehler Park.
Raptors 010 001 100 - 3 9 1
Riders 001 000 000 - 1 4 2
Mitchell Stone, Foster Face (7), Adam Scoggins (8), Dan Kubiuk (9) and Coleton Horner. Rob Hamby, Joseph Kinsky (7), Roy Robles (7), Ryan Cloude (9) and Matt Clayton.
OGDEN RAPTORS — Cameron Phelts 0-5, Reese Alexiades 0-4, Logan Williams 0-5, Juan Teixeira 1-3, Damian Henderson 2-3, Dane Tofteland 0-1, Sal Gozzo 2-4, Dakota Conners 2-3, Coleton Horner 0-3, Rafael Narea 2-4.
GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Gabe Howell 0-4, Jackson Raper 1-4, Dean Miller 0-3, Crews Taylor 0-3, Kingston Liniak 0-3, Benjamin Fitzgerald 0-3, Matt Clayton 2-3, Sam Linscott 0-0, Mason Dinesen 1-4, Ben McConnell 0-4.
2B — Henderson, Gozzo. HR — Clayton. RBIs — Williams, Gozzo, Narea, Claytonb.
