Range Riders pull away on Mustangs Thursday

by Daily Inter Lake
| July 7, 2023 11:32 AM

BILLINGS — Dean Miller homered to put Glacier ahead for good and Benjamin Fitzgerald drove in five runs as the Range Riders pulled away to a 15-6 Pioneer League win over Billings Thursday.

Gabe Howell homered to lead off the game for the Range Riders (23-15), who led the back-and-forth game 2-0 before falling behind 4-2.

Miller’s RBI single in the fourth inning drew Glacier into a 4-4 tie; he then hit a 2-run homer, his fourth, in the sixth inning to break a 6-6 deadlock.

Then came the eighth inning, when Fitzgerald hit a 3-run double in the midst of a seven-run outburst. Mason Dinesen capped the rally with a 2-run single that made it 15-6.

Fitzgerald also thumped a 2-run double that had the Range Riders up 6-4 in the fourth inning.

The Mustangs had 11 hits, including a home run from Gabe Wurtz, but fell to 18-22.

Howell’s homer was his sixth, and the Glacier shortstop drew three walks and scored four times. Miller also scored four runs, and the top four in the Range Rider lineup — Howell, Jackson Raper (3-for-5, three runs), Miller and Fitzgerald — went a combined 9-for-16 with 12 runs scored and 10 driven in.

Jack White started on the mound for Glacier and shook off a 4-run first inning to record nine outs; he struck out six to go with four walks allowed.

Cameron Repetti handled innings 4-6 and allowed two runs, picking up the win.

Connor Housley, Luke Dawson and Noah Barros each threw a scoreless inning of relief.

Riders 210 302 070 - 15 12 1

Mustangs 400 200 000 - 6 11 2

Jack White, Cameron Repetti (4), Connor Housley (7), Luke Dawson (8), Noah Barros (9) and Christian Kirtley. Jared Kengott, McLain Harris (5), Tyler Statler (8), Keegan McGinnis (8) and Brady West.

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Gabe Howell 1-3, Jackson Raper 3-5, Dean iller 2-2, Benjamin Fitzgerald 3-6, Kingston Liniak 0-0, Ben McConnell 0-2, Nick Lucky 0-3, Kirtley 0-4, Mason Dinesen 2-5, Sam Linscott 1-5.

BILLINGS MUSTANGS — Taylor Lomack 1-5, Gabe Wurtz 4-5, Tyler Wilber 0-3, Wyatt Crenshaw 1-3, Luke Fennelly 1-3, West 1-5, Mitch Moralez 2-5, Bryce Donovan 0-5, Jason Ajamian 1-3.

2B — Fitzgerald 2, Lomack, West. 3B — Linscott. HR — Howell (6), Miller (4), Wurtz (5). RBIs — Fitzgerald 5, Miller 3, Dinesen 2, Kirtley, Howell, Raper, West 3, Wurtz 2.