Range Riders 0-2 to start second half

A day after the game got away in the fifth inning, the Glacier Range Riders saw Wednesday’s Pioneer League baseball battle with the Oakland Ballers go south in the seventh.

Held to three hits through six innings, the Ballers pushed across three runs in the seventh and rallied past the Range Riders for a 5-2 win. 

Oakland, the first-half winner in the Pioneer League, is 2-0 in the second after getting Ty Bothwell out of the game with two on and two outs in the seventh. 

Reliever Davis Pratt came on, uncorked a wild pitch, then walked two batters to force in a run. Luke Cooper relieved Pratt but gave up a two-run single to Nick Leehey. 

Up 3-0, Oakland got a solo homer from Christian Almanza in the eighth inning and an RBI single from Leehey in the ninth. 

Bothwell was sharp, allowing four hits, two walks and two runs through 6 2-3 innings for the Range Riders (0-2). He fanned seven, giving him a league-high 67.  

Reed Butz was equally solid for Oakland, giving up six hits, one walk and two runs in 6 2-3 innings. He struck out nine. He also allowed RBI singles to Logan Beard and Kingston Liniak in the first inning, but then settled in.  

Oakland    000    000    311    -    5    8    0 

Glacier    200    000    000    -    2    5    0

Reed Butz, Conner Richardson (7), Connor Sullivan (9) and Dillon Tatum. Ty Bothwell, Davis Pratt (7), Luke Cooper (7), Rayne Supple (9) and Angel Mendoza. 

OAKLAND BALLERS — Tremayne Cobb Jr 1-4, Nick Leehey 2-5, Davis Drewek 1-4, Daniel Harris IV 0-4, Cam Bufford 1-3, Christian Almanza 1-4, Tatum 0-4, Jake Allgeyer 2-3, Darryl Buggs 0-3, Lou Helmig 0-0. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Kyle Ashwroth 1-4, Gabe Howell 0-4, Logan Beard 1-4, Xavier Casserilla 0-3, TJ Clarkson 0-4, Kingston Liniak 1-4, Joshua Rego 0-3, Mendoza 1-3, John Mabry 1-2, Kenneth Levari 0-1. 

2B — Bufford, Ashworth. HR — Almanza (15). RBIs — Leehey 3, Cobb Jr., Almanza, Beard, Liniak. 

Tuesday 

Ballers 3, Riders 1

Zach St. Pierre and two Oakland relievers held the Glacier Range Riders to one run, and the Ballers claimed the second-half opener Tuesday night. 

Both teams managed just five hits at Glacier Bank Park, but Oakland had the key one: a two-run triple from Esai Santos that capped the Ballers’ three-run fifth inning. 

Before Cam Bufford’s single to lead off the fifth, Glacier starting pitcher Jared Engman had not allowed a hit. He got just two more outs; Jacob Hasty, Nick Zenga, Luke Cooper and Davis Pratt finished it out. Engman allowed three hits and four walks, fanning three. 

St. Pierre allowed three hits and two walks in six innings; he struck out five. 

The Range Riders got their run in the eighth inning on TJ Clarkson’s solo home run, his eighth, with two out. Kenneth Levari then led off Glacier’s ninth inning with a single, but the next three Range Riders went down in order. 

Oakland    000    030    000    -    3    5    2 

Glacier    000    `000    010    -    1    5    1

Zach St. Pierre, Caleb Franzen (7), Connor Sulllivan (9) and Dillon Tatum. Jared Engman, Jacob Hasty (5), Nick Zegna (7), Luke Cooper (8), Davis Pratt (9) and Angel Mendoza. 

OAKLAND BALLERS — Tremayne Cobb Jr 0-4, Esai Santos 1-3, Nick Leehey 0-1, Pat Monteith 0-0, David Drewek 0-3, Daniel Harris IV 0-3, Christian Almanza 2-4, Cam Bufford 1-4, Lou Helmig 0-1, Darryn Buggs 0-2, Tatum 0-03, Jack Allgeyer 1-3. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Kyle Ashworth 0-4, Joshua Rego 0-1, Gabe Howell 0-4, Logan Beard 0-4, Xavier Casserilla 0-3, TJ Clarkson 2-4, Kingston Liniek 0-4, Kenneth Levari 1-3, Mendoza 1-3, Jack Lynch 1-3. 

2B — Almanza, Lynch. 3B — Santos. HR — Clarkson (8). RBIs — Santos 2, Cobb Jr., Clarkson.