Range Riders fall to PaddleHeads, drop fifth straight
Glacier Range Riders starting pitcher Nick Zegna (38) delivers in the first inning against the Missoula Paddleheads at Glacier Bank Park on Friday, June 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Jackson Raper (14) singles in the first inning against the Missoula Paddleheads at Glacier Bank Park on Friday, June 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier centerfielder Kingston Liniak (20) tracks down a fly ball hit to the warning track in the seventh inning against the Missoula Paddleheads at Glacier Bank Park on Friday, June 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier shortstop Gabe Howell (10) throws to first base after making a play on a grounder in the fourth inning against the Missoula Paddleheads at Glacier Bank Park on Friday, June 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier second baseman Ryan Cash (5) charges and fires to first on a grounder hit by Missoula's Keaton Greenwalt (16) that deflected off Range Rider pitcher Justin Coleman in the seventh inning. Greenwalt beat the throw to first base. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier right fielder Mason Dinesen (23) makes a catch at the wall in the second inning against the Missoula Paddleheads at Glacier Bank Park on Friday, June 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier second baseman Ryan Cash (5) turns a double play in the sixth inning against the Missoula Paddleheads at Glacier Bank Park on Friday, June 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Kingston Liniak (20) connects on a solo home run to right field in the second inning against the Missoula Paddleheads at Glacier Bank Park on Friday, June 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
The Missoula PaddleHeads beat the Glacier Range Riders 11-3 Friday night at Glacier Bank Ballpark in Pioneer League baseball.
Kingston Liniak hit a solo homer to center field in the bottom of the second to make things 1-0 in the Range Riders’ favor.
The lead would hold till the top of the fourth when the PaddleHeads put together a four-run inning with Austin Bernard and Kamron Willman driving in runs. Two more runs came around to score on a Range Riders error.
Glacier’s Dean Miller singled home Ryan Cash in the sixth to make things 4-2 but Missoula would respond in the top of the seventh with a Jared Akins leadoff home run to spark a six-run inning and push the score to 11-2.
Akins finished 3-6 with two runs batted in. Range Riders leadoff hitter Gabe Howell drove in the Riders’ final run on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the ninth.
Zach Penrod was the starter for the PaddleHeads and pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing two earned runs and striking out six. Karl Blum finished out the sixth inning and Austin Dill pitched the final three innings allowing one earned run while fanning five.
Glacier’s starting pitcher Nick Zenga took home the loss after going four innings while allowing two earned runs and striking out six.
The Riders have now lost five straight and are 11-9 on the season. The teams meet again Saturday night and they close out their six-game set with Missoula Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at Glacier Bank Ballpark.
PaddleHeads 000 400 601 — 11 16 1
Range Riders 010 001 001 — 3 8 4
Zach Penrod, Karl Blum (5), Austin Dill (7) and Austin Bernard. Nick Zenga, Joseph Kinsky (5), Connor Housley (6), Coleman (7), Robles (7), Cloude (8), Natoli (9) and Matt Clayton.
PADDLEHEADS — McClain O’Connor 2-5, Jared Akins 3-6, Keaton Greenwalt 2-4, Dondrei Hubbard 1-6, Jakon Guenther 1-4, Thomas DeBonville 1-5, Cameron Thompson 2-4, Austin Bernard 2-4, Kamron Willman 2-5.
RANGE RIDERS — Gabe Howell 0-5, Jackson Raper 2-4, Dean Miller 1-5, Matt Clayton 1-4, Kingston Liniak 1-3, Eddie McCabe 0-2, Crews Taylor 0-1, Ben McConnell 1-1, Mason Dinesen 0-3, Austin Bates 1-2, Ryan Cash 1-4,.
HR — Akins. Liniak. 2B — O’Connor, Greenwalt, DeBonville, Thompson, Bernard. Bates, Raper. RBI — O’Connor 2, Akins 2, Bernard 2, Hubbard, DeBonville, Willman. Howell, Miller, Liniak.
