Chukars complete sweep; Range Riders still have outside shot at PL playoffs
The sun sets behind Glacier Bank Park as the Glacier Range Riders face the Idaho Falls Chukars in their final home game of the 2023 season on Wednesday, Sept. 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier reliever Ryan Cloude (19) delivers in the first inning against Idaho Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Wednesday, Sept. 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Range Riders shortstop Gabe Howell (10) fires to first for an out in the second inning against Idaho Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Wednesday, Sept. 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Ben Huber (21) scores a run in the fifth inning after Mason Dinesen reached base on an error. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Christian Kirtley (12) connects on a single in the sixth inning against Idaho Falls at Glacier Bank Park on Wednesday, Sept. 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
The Glacier Range Riders drew a record crowd to their final regular-season home game Wednesday, and showed the faithful some defense and power.
Unfortunately the Idaho Falls Chukars showed a little bit more, scoring eight runs in the first inning of a 9-6 Pioneer League win.
The loss completed a surprising sweep: No PL team has won fewer games this season than the Chukars (34), while only Missoula has more wins than the Range Riders’ 53. The Riders had come back to Glacier Bank Park on a seven-game win streak, and had beaten Idaho Falls 12 times in 16 games.
Now they have to hope first-half North Division champion Missoula catches the Billings Mustangs this half, in order to nail down a wild-card playoff spot. Oddly enough the Range Riders face Missoula to close the season, playing three road games against the PaddleHeads.
A record crowd of 3,079 saw Wednesday’s game get out of hand early, with Glacier starting pitcher Jonathan Clark recording just one out. The first three Chukars hitters drew walks ahead of RBI singles from Tyler Wyatt and Chris Monroe — the latter handcuffing Clark on its way back through the box.
The next hitter struck out, but then came a two-run single, then another single to reload the bases. Then No. 9 hitter Brandon Bohning belted a no-doubt grand slam to left for an 8-0 lead.
That would be all the runs the Chukars needed, though Glacier got two unearned runs in the fifth inning — Ben Huber got the Range Riders’ first hit, a single, that inning — and four more in the eighth on Dean Miller’s RBI single and Matt Clayton’s three-run homer.
Brian Williams came on in the ninth for Idaho Falls, retiring pinch-hitters Crews Taylor and Jackson Raper and third baseman Jake Mackenzie in order.
Clayton’s homer was his 13th. Six Range Rider relievers threw a combined 8 2-3 of four-hit ball at Idaho Falls, with one run allowed.
The Mustangs’ 15-game winning streak ended Wednesday with a 9-7 loss to Great Falls — though they had the bases loaded in the ninth inning. Meanwhile, in a game running late in Boise, the PaddleHeads trailed the Boise Hawks 10-3 in the seventh.
If the Range Riders land a playoff berth they’ll host the first-ever playoff game at Glacier Bank Park on Monday.
