Mustangs hold off Range Riders Thursday, 9-4

BILLINGS — Tyler Shelnut and Evan Berkey homered in the second inning and the Billings Mustangs built an 8-0 lead on the way to a 9-4 Pioneer League victory over the Glacier Range Riders Thursday at Dehler Park. 

Shelnet and Berkey each hit solo shots as the Mustangs (17-28) put up three runs in the second inning; in the fourth inning Billings tacked on three more runs, sparked by Sean Lynch’s RBI double. 

Briley Wright hit a two-run single that put Billings up 8-0 in the sixth and added an RBI double in the eighth. Shortstop Cameron Bowen went 5-for-5 from the leadoff spot and scored twice. 

Joshua Rego and Gabe Howell each had RBI doubles for Glacier (16-29), in the seventh and eighth innings. 

In the ninth the Range Riders loaded the bases with none out; John Mabry’s double play grounder brought in one run, and Kyle Ashworth’s RBI single capped the scoring. 

Sam Schmidt, making his professional debut, allowed four hits in 7 1-3 innings for Billings. He walked two and struck out two. 

Ty Bothwell lasted four innings on the bump for Glacier, allowing nine hits, a walk and six earned runs. He also fanned six, running his Pioneer League-leading total to 60. 

Glacier    000    000    112    -    4    5    1 

Billings    030    302    01x    -    9    14    1

Ty Bothwell, Eldridge Armstrong III (5), Nick Zegna (6), Jason Franks (8) and Antonio Barranca. Sam Schmitt, Chris Hardin (8) and Sean Lynch. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Kyle Ashworth 1-3, Gabe howell 2-5, Logan Beard 0-4, Xavier Casserilla 1-4, TJ Clarkson 0-3, Kingston Liniak 0-3, Joshua ego 1-3, Jack Lynch 0-0, Barranca 0-2, John Mabry 0-4. 

BILLINGS MUSTANGS — Cameron Bowen 5-5, Bodee Wright 2-5, Jacob Kline 1-5, CJ Colyer 0-4, Tyler Shelnut 2-3, Evan Berkey 1-4, Lynch 1-4, Briley Knight 2-4, Justin Williams 0-0, AJ Shaver 0-2. 

2B — Howell, Rego, Wright, Shelnut, Lynch. HR — Shelnut (7), Berkey (6). RBIs — Ashworth, Howell, Rego, Wright 3, Bowen 2, Shelnut, Berkey, Lynch, Knight.