Range Riders fall in lightning-shortened game

MISSOULA — Walks and lightning were too much for the Glacier Range Riders Tuesday, in a 10-5 loss to Missoula that was shortened to seven innings by threatening skies.

The PaddleHeads (13-5) moved their lead in the Pioneer League’s North Division to 1.5 games over Glacier (11-6), though the Range Riders had leads of 2-0 and 4-3.

The PaddleHeads took the lead for good when Kamron Willman’s grounder to short resulted in a throwing error; two runs scored to make it 6-4, Missoula/

Jared Akins had tied the game earlier in the inning with his first run, a solo shot.

Missoula used two hits, two walks and a hit batter to tack on its last four runs, in the fourth.

At that point the game, whose start was delayed by 30 minutes by lightning, was delayed again. When it resumed, Glacier got one run back thanks to a Missoula error in the fifth, but got no closer. With one out and Ryan Cloude on the hill in the bottom of the seventh a third lightning delay happened and the game was later called.

It was Missoula’s sixth straight win.

The Range Riders threw Noah Barros and Connor Housley at the PaddleHeads, but the pair allowed eight walks and seven hits in four innings. Andrew Holweger threw two scoreless innings of relief.

Glacier led 2-0 on a run-scoring groundout by Ben Fitzgerald and an RBI single from Mason Dineson in the second inning. In the fourth Crews Taylor and Matt Clayton hit solo home runs to put the Range Riders up 4-3.

Taylor’s home run was his second. Clayton has four home runs.

The two teams battle again Wednesday night. On Friday Missoula comes to Glacier Bank Park for a 3-game set against the Range Riders.

Range Riders 022 010 0 - 5 10 3

PaddleHeads 033 400 0 - 10 8 1

Noah Barros, Connor Housley (3), Andrew Holweger (5), Ryan Cloude (7) and Matt Clayton. Izzy Fuentes, Mitch Sparks (5) and Austin Bernard.

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Gabe Howell 0-4, Crews Taylor 2-4, Dean Miller 1-4, Jackson Raper 2-4, Matt Clayton 2-4, Ben Fitzgerald 0-3, Kingston Liniak 0-3, Mason Dinesen 2-3, Ben McConnell 1-3.

MISSOULA PADDLEHEADS — Patrick Chung 2-4, Keaton Greenwalt 1-4, Jakob Guenther 0-4, Dondrei Hubbard 1-4, Jared Akins 3-3, McClaine O’Connor 1-2, Cameron Thompson 0-2, Austin Bernard 0-2, Kamron Willman 0-2.

2B — Clayton, Hubbard. HR — Taylor, Clyaton, Akins. RBIs — Fitzgerald 2, Taylor, Clyaton, Dinesen, Willman 2, Chung 2, Greenwalt, Akins, Bernard.