Range Riders rally again Friday at Billings

by Daily Inter Lake
| July 8, 2023 12:12 AM

BILLINGS — Matt Clayton drove in four runs and for the second straight night the Glacier Range Riders ate up an early deficit to beat the Billings Mustangs, this time by a 9-4 score on Friday.

For the second straight game Gabe Howell homered and Glacier tacked on big runs in the eighth inning. The Range Riders (24-15), who beat Billings 15-6 Thursday, will go for a series sweep Saturday. They have Sunday off to get back to Kalispell.

Down 3-0, Clayton got Glacier on the comeback trail with an RBI single in the fourth inning that scored Dean Miller. In the fifth inning Howell hit a two-run homer and Clayton hit a two-run double to put the Range Riders in front 5-3.

The gap grew to 6-3 in the seventh when Benjamin Fitzgerald scored on Clayton’s sacrifice fly; Mason Dinesen added a two-run double in Glacier’s three-run eighth inning.

Jonathan Pintero threw seven strong innings to improve to 3-2 on the mound for Glacier. He allowed seven hits, four walks and three earned runs, including a solo home run from Connor Denning. He fanned six and left with a 6-3 lead.

Denning had three hits and scored three times for the Mustangs (18-23).

Howell has seven home runs, tying Fitzgerald and Kingston Liniak for the team lead. Howell, Miller, Nick Lucky and Fitzgerald all scored twice.

John Natoli and Ryan Cloude split the eighth and ninth innings.

Riders 000 140 130 - 9 9 1

Mustangs 201 000 001 - 4 8 3

Jonathan Pintero, John Natoli (8), Ryan Cloude (9) and Matt Clayton. Luke Truman, Trevor Jackson (5), D Vitriago (8) and John Michael Faile, Brady West (5).

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Gabe Howell 1-3, Jackson Raper 0-4, Dean Miller 0-3, Benjamin Fitzgerald 2-4, Matt Clayton 3-4, Crews Taylor 1-4, Ben McConnell 0-1, Sam Linscott 0-3, Nick Lucky 1-3, Mason Dinesen 1-4.

BILLINGS MUSTANGS — Connor Denning 3-4, Gabe Wurtz 1-5, Wyatt Crenshaw 1-3, Tyler Wilber 1-3, Mikey Edie 1-4, John Michael Faile 0-2, Brady West 0-3, Luke Fennelly 0-3, Mitch Moralez 0-3, Taylor Lomack 1-4.

2B — Fitzgerald, Clayton, Lucky, Dinesen, Wilber. HR — Howell (7), Denning (8). RBIs — Clayton 4, Howell 2, Dinesen 2, Wilber 2, Denning, Eddie.