Range Riders split final two games in series

Daily Inter Lake 

BILLINGS — The Range Riders hit three home runs, but it wasn’t enough as the Billings Mustangs took the rubber match of the series 6-5 at Dehler Park on Sunday. 

Christian Kirtley started the scoring for Glacier with a two-run shot in the first inning, driving home Ryan Mcarthy for his team-leading 20th home run.  

Ben Fitzgerald, who is behind Kirtley for the team lead hit his 14th home run of the season in the fourth inning to give the Range Riders a 4-0 lead. 

Things fell apart in the bottom half of the sixth inning, when two errors by starting pitcher Kaleb Sophy extended the inning and allowed four runs to score to take a 6-4 lead.  

McCarthy hit a solo home run in the seventh inning to pull the Range Riders within one, as part of his 3-for-4 day.  

After McCarthy’s home run, the next eight Range Riders batter were retired in order to end the game. 

The Range Riders (16-26 in the second half, 45-45 overall) will close out the regular season on the road with a six-game series against the Ogden Raptors (15-25 in the second half, 37-51 overall) beginning on Tuesday.  

Saturday 

Range Riders 10, Mustangs 1 

Kingston Liniak went 3-for-4 with a home run and drove in four RBIs as the Range Riders used three home runs to cruise to a 10-1 victory over the Billings Mustangs on Saturday. 

Ty Bothwell picked up his first win for the Range Riders after pitching 5 2-3 scoreless frames and striking out 11 in his second start with the team.  

Andy Atwood and Freddy Guilamo went back-to back in the eighth inning off Dawson Lane to extend the Range Riders lead to 10-0. 

Gabe Howell and Ryan McCarthy both had multiple hit games and the top five of the order combined for nine of the teams 11 total hits. 

The Range Riders bullpen allowed one run in 3 1-3 innings, but didn’t allow a hit to take game two of the series.