Riders hold off Missoula for second straight win

by Daily Inter Lake
| July 1, 2024 12:00 AM

MISSOULA - Gabe Howell and Ty Penner both homered in a six-run third inning to help the Range Riders defeat Missoula 14-12 to round out their six-game series Sunday.

Nick Block also sent one over the fence in the fifth inning to put Glacier (22-14) up 11-4.

Glacier ends the series 2-4 against the first-place PaddleHeads (27-9) and now sit five games behind, second in the Pioneer League standings

The Range Riders jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning after Penner hit an RBI single to right field.

Missoula answered back in the bottom of the second with Mike Rosario hitting a two-run blast to left field making it 4-2. The PaddleHeads added one more in the inning.

Penner and Howells’s homers rounded out a third-inning barrage that gave the Range Riders a 10-4 lead. Block’s solo shot and a Nick Fitzgerald RBI single gave Glacier a 12-4 lead.

Missoula started their comeback in the sixth as Taylor Smith and Roberto Pena hit home runs to make it a 13-8 game.

Patrick Chung homered in the seventh to make it a 13-12 ballgame.

Andy Atwood added one insurance run in the ninth and Cameron Cowan closed out the game in the ninth.

Nick Zegna started for the Range Riders and went six innings, allowing eight runs on five hits. He walked six and struck out three.

The Range Riders chased Missoula starter Reece Fields after just 2 2-3 innings after he allowed 10 runs on nine hits, including the home runs to Howell and Penner.

Glacier has Monday off before taking on Great Falls in a six-game series. The first three games are scheduled to be played in Great Falls with the final three at Glacier Bank Park.

Glacier 316 012 001 - 14 16 3

Missoula 040 004 400 - 12 10 2

Nick Zegna, Keaton Carattini (7), Luke Cooper (7), Montana Quigley (8), Cameron Cowan (9) and Nick Gore. Reece Fields, Mark Timmins (3), Mason Bryant (5), Trent Anderson (6), Andrew Garcia (8), Ethan Swanson (9) and Taylor Smith.

GLACIER – Gabe Howell 2-5, Andy Atwood 1-4, Ty Penner 4-5, Christian Kirtley 2-4, Chad Castillo 3-6, Ajay Sczepkowski 0-6, Ben Fitzgerald 2-5, Nick Gore 0-4, Nick Block 2-3.

MISSOULA – Patrick Chung 1-5, Roberto Pena 1-5, Alec Sanchez 0-5, Adam Fogel 1-4, Mike Rosario 2-5, Colin Runge 0-4, Luis Navarro 2-5, Taylor Smith 1-2, Colin Gordon 2-3.

2B – Penner, Fitzgerald. HR – Howell, Penner, Block, Chung, Pena, Rosario, Smith. RBIs – Howell 3, Penner 3, Block 3, Atwood, Kirtley, Castillo, Fitzgerald, Gore. Chung 4, Pena 4, Rosario 2, Smith, Gordon.