Range Riders fall despite Clarkson slam

Gio Brusa and Cuba Bess both homered and drove in four runs and Yuba-Sutter held off Glacier 10-7 in Pioneer League baseball Saturday.

Brusa’s ninth-inning, two-run single blunted a comeback by the Range Riders (17-18 this half), who got a grand slam from TJ Clarkson in the eighth inning to close what was an 8-2 deficit to 8-7. 

After the High Wheelers pushed their lead back to three, the Range Riders went down in order in the ninth inning. 

Bess hit his 26th homer in the first inning to put Yuba-Sutter up 2-0, and his two-run single capped a four-run rally in the second. 

That made it 6-2; Glacier scored twice in the first inning thanks to bases-loaded walk issued to Kingston Liniak and Jake MIllan’s RBI groundout.  

Brusa’s 25th homer run made it 8-2 in the seventh.  

After the Range Riders loaded the bases in the seventh and didn’t score, they filled them again with nobody out in the eighth thanks to a walk, a single and Gabe Howell getting hit by a pitch. This time they cashed in. 

The next hitter, Carson Garner, also walked to force in Liniak. After pinch-hitter Jake Lynch fled out, Clarkson jumped on Andrew Garcia’s pitch for his 13th home run. 

After JT Mabry singled for Glacier, the Wheelers brought in Ty Buckner. He struck out the next two hitters, then pitched the ninth for his first save. 

Yuba    240    000    202    -    10    9    0 

Glacier    200    000    050    -    7    9    1 

Brett Wozniak, Logan Snow (7), Andrew Garcia (8), Ty Buckner (8) and Mike Campagna. Sean Brennan, Nicholas Ferazzi (2), Ethan O’Neal (4), Connor Housley (6), Ryan Supple (8), Jacob Hasty (9) and Donovan Ratfield. 

YUBA-SUTTER — Cooper Hext 0-4, River Orsak 1-3, Bobby Lada 0-3, Cuba Bess 2-3, Garret Pike 1-4, Connor Denning 0-2, Gio Brusa 3-5, Campagna, 1-5, Tyler Young 1-4. 

GLACIER — TJ Clarkson 2-5, JT Mabry 3-4, Logan Beard 0-3, Eli Paton 0-4, Kingston Liniak 1-3, Jake Millan 2-5, Gabe Howell 0-4, Carson Garner 0-3, Ratfield 1-3, Jack Lynch 0-1. 

HR — Bess (26), Brusa (25), Clarkson (13). RBIs — Bess 4, Brusa 4, Young, Clarkson 4, Liniak, Millan, Garner.