Riders drop two straight to lose opening series

by Daily Inter Lake
| July 21, 2025 12:00 AM

The Oakland Ballers broke a 3-3 tie in the top half of the ninth inning, scoring two runs to take the rubber match in the six-game series 5-3 against the Glacier Range Riders Sunday at Glacier Bank Park.

The Range Riders (2-4) dropped the final two games of the series to the Ballers (4-2) to start the second half of the season after finishing the first half of the season with a 17-31 record, good for ninth place out of 12 teams.

Lou Helming led off the top of the ninth inning with a single and the next batter Dillon Tatum, clubbed a two-run homer off Rayne Supple to give the Ballers the lead late in the game before Supple struck out the next three batters. The Range Riders were retired in order in their half of the ninth.

Jared Engram took the bump for Glacier and performed well, going six innings, allowing seven hits, no walks and two earned runs, fanning five. The Range Riders scored three runs off starter Zach St. Pierre but were held to just one hit over the final four frames.

After the Ballers scored the first run of the game in the top half of the fourth inning, the Range Riders answered back with RBI singles from Eli Paton and Kingston Liniak to give them a 2-1 lead.

Liniak singled home another run in the sixth inning for a 3-2 lead before the Ballers bullpen shut down the Riders offense and scored three unanswered runs to take the game. Liniak finished with two hits and two RBIs; Logan Beard added two doubles.

Oakland 000 101 102 - 5 12 0

Glacier 000 201 000 - 3 8 0

Zach St. Pierre (6), Gabe Tanner (8), James Colyer (9), and Dillon Tatum. Jared Engman (6), Liniak (7), Nicholas Ferazzi (8), Rayne Supple (9), and Angel Mendoza.

OAKLAND BALLERS — Essai Santos 1-5, Jake Allgeyer 1-3, Tremayne Cobb Jr. 1-2, Davis Drewek 1-4, Daniel Harris IV 1-4, Christian Almanza 1-4, Cam Bufford 1-4, Lou Helming 2-4, Dillon Tatum 2-4, Nick Leehey 1-4.

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — TJ Clarkson 1-4, Logan Beard 2-4, Jack Lynch 1-3, Xavier Casserilla 1-4, Eli Paton 1-3, Liniak 2-4, Gabe Howell 0-4, Angel Mendoza 0-4, Kyle Ashworth 0-4.

2B — Santos. Beard 2. HR — Tatum (14). RBIs — Tatum 2, Almanza, Cobb Jr., Helming. Liniak 2, Paton.

Saturday

Oakland 6, Glacier 2

Oakland plated six runs and shut out Glacier for eight innings before the Range Riders offense plated two runs in the bottom half of the ninth to end a modest two game winning streak over the team who took the top spot in the first half of the Pioneer League standings. Tatum and Harris IV both drove in two runs, Drewek doubled home a run, and Almanza laced a solo home run in the top of the ninth before the Range Riders offense responded in their half of the inning.

Liniak walked, Kennth Levari hit a single before Clarkson plated both runners with a 2-run base hit. The comeback was short lived after Clarkson stole second base; the next two batters retired in order to end the game.

Despite outhitting the Ballers 10-9, the Range Riders were held to just one extra-base hit, a double by John Mabry. Seven of the Ballers’ nine hits went for extra bases; six doubles and Almanza’s home run.

Levari went 3-for-4 with a run scored, and Mabry finished with two hits. Clarkson drove in the only runs of the game.

Oakland 000 013 011 - 6 9 1

Glacier 000 000 002 - 2 10 1

Luke Short (3), Adam Bogosian (6), Conner Richardson (7), Caleb Franzen (8), Connor Sullivan (9), and Tatum. Sean Brennan (5), Nicholas Ferazzi, Cam Cowan (6), Jacob Hasty (8), Eldridge Armstrong III (9), and Donovan Ratfield.

OAKLAND BALLERS — Cobb Jr. 1-5, Santos 1-3, Darryl Buggs 1-2, Drewek 2-4, Harris IV 2-5, Almanza 1-4, Helming 1-3, Cam Bufford 0-1, Jake Allgeyer 0-3, Tatum 1-2, Leehey 0-4.

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Ashworth 1-5, Howell 0-4, Beard 1-4, Casserilla 1-4, Liniak 0-3, Joshua Rego 0-3, Jack Lynch 0-1, Levari 3-4, Donovan Ratfield 1-3, Clarkson 1-1, Mabry 2-4.

2B — Drewek 2, Cobb Jr., Harris Iv, Santos, Tatum. Mabry. HR — Almanza (16). RBIs — Harris IV 2, Tatum 2, Almanza, Drewek. Clarkson 2.