Riders rally falls just short as they lose to Voyagers 11-10

GREAT FALLS – The Glacier Range Riders dropped game one of the three game series against the Great Falls Voyagers 11-10 at Centene Stadium Tuesday night. 

The Range Riders went into the bottom of the eighth inning with a commanding 9-5 lead, before things began to unravel. Three different runners advanced on wild pitches and the Voyagers only tallied four hits in the inning, but it resulted in six runs as they retook the lead 11-9.

In their top half of the ninth inning, the Range Riders attempted a comeback as the first two batters reached base, but back-to-back groundouts forced in one run and newcomer Ajay Szczepkowski struck out with runners on first and third to end the game.

This was Sczepkowski’s first game with the Range Riders, as he finished the day going 2-for-5. He was the 2023 NAIA player of the year.

Mason Dinesen hit his fifth homerun of the season to tie Christian Kirtley for the team lead. He also drove in three runs to add to his team leading total of 24. 

The Range Riders (11-8) have two games left in the series against Great Falls (4-15) before returning home for a three-game series against Idaho. 

GLACIER     000    233    011   -     10    12    2

G. FALLS     101    201    06x   -     11    8    4

Brady Held (5), Montana Quigley (6), Aidan McEvoy (7) Jack Lynch, Cameron Cowan (8) and Jerry Huntzinger. Aj Fritz (5), Trae Robertson (6), Nolan LaMere (8), Dayan Reinoso (9) and Hernan Yanez.

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS – Andy Atwood 1-5, John Daly 1-4, Chad Castillo 1-5, Christian Kirtley 2-4, Ben Fitzgerald 1-5, Mason Dinesen 1-5, Ajay Sczepkowski 2-5, Jerome Huntzinger 2-3, JD McLaughlin 1-4.

GREAT FALLS VOYAGERS – Xane Washington 1-4, Freddy Rojas Jr. 1-5, Mahki Backstrom 2-2, Jack Lynch1-5, Frank Podkul 0-3, Livingston Morris 0-4, Marcos Castillo 1-5, Hernan Yanez 0-2, Kody Putnam 2-4.

2B – Atwood, Daly, Kirtley, Fitzgerald, Huntzinger. Backstrom.    3B – McLaughlin.     RBIs – C. Castillo, Huntzinger, Kirtley, McLaughlin, Atwood 2, Dinesen 3. Washington, Morris, Lynch, 2 Backstrom 2, Putnam 4.    HR – Huntzinger (1), Dinesen (5).