Riders hold off PaddleHeads Saturday

MISSOULA — JD McLaughlin hit a tie-breaking two-run home run in the sixth inning, Kingston Liniak added a solo shot in the seventh and the Glacier Range Riders held off Missoula 7-6 for a Pioneer League victory Saturday.

The win, sealed by Cam Cowan’s nearly flawless two innings of relief, snapped a two-game skid for the Range Riders (7-4) at Ogren-Allegiance Park. The Paddleheads (6-5) won 15-8 Thursday and 6-2 Friday. 

Liniak had a huge game: an RBI double in the third inning that put Glacier up 2-1; a solo home run that put his team in front again, 4-3 in the fifth; and his second homer of the game, which put the Range Riders up 7-5. 

That was an important run because the PaddleHeads’ Colby Wilkerson doubled and later scored on a throwing error by the right fielder in the seventh, drawing Missoula to 7-6. 

Cowan took over the hill from Jason Franks in the eighth and was untouchable, striking out five of the seven batters he faced. He walked one Colin Gordon with two out in the ninth, then fanned Roberta Pena — who’d already homered, for the eighth time in 11 games —  to end it. 

Angel Mendoza homered for the second straight game for Glacier, and Kenneth Levari’s RBI single put the Range Riders up 3-1 in the third inning. 

Missoula got a two-run homer from Adam Fogel in its half of the third and tied the score again at 4-4 on Pena’s solo home run in the fifth. 

McLaughlin’s home run put Glacier up 6-4, but Kamron Willman’s solo shot got Missoula back within one in the sixth. 

Glacier    003    012    100    -    7    14    1 

Missoula    102    011    100    -    6    7    2

Luke Schafer, Jason Franks (7), Cam Cowan (8) and Angel Mendoza. Matthew Sox, Reece Fields (5), Matthew Taubensee (6), Cale Mathison (7), Andrew Armstron (8) and Taylor Smith. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — JD McLaughlin 2-5, Xavier Casserilla 2-4, TJ Clarkson 0-5, Kingston Liniak 4-5, Kenneth Levari (3-5), Efrain Manzo 0-5, Logan Beard 1-4, John Mabry 0-5, Mendoza 2-3. 

MISSOULA PADDLEHEADS — Colin Gordon 0-3, Roberta Pena 2-4, Mike Rosario 0-3, Adam Fogen 2-4, Alec Sanchez 0-4, Kamron Willman 2-4, Smith 0-3, McGwire Holbrook 0-4, Colby Wilkerson 1-4. 

2B — Linak, Levari, Mendoza, Fogel, Willman, Wilkerson. HR — Liniak 2 (4), McLaughlin (2), Mendoza (2), Pena (8), Fogel (3), Willman (1). RBIs — Liniak 3, McLaughlin 2, Levari, Mendoza, Fogel 3, Pena, Willman. 

Friday: PaddleHeads 6, Range Riders 2 

Roberto Pena hit his league-leading seventh home run and Colin Gordon added one of his own for the Missoula PaddleHeads.  

Pena’s home run put the PaddleHeads up 4-0 in the first inning. That was enough support for starting pitcher Ryan Wentz and three Missoula relievers.   

Wentz went five innings, allowing six hits, one walk and one run — a solo home run to Angel Mendoza in the fifth inning. He struck out three Range Riders.  

Gordon hit a solo home run in the seventh inning to put the PaddleHeads up 5-1.  

Xavier Casserill added an RBI single in the ninth inning, putting two men on with one out for Glacier. But TJ Clarkson grounded out and Kingston Liniak flied out to end it.  

Glacier    000    010    001    -    2    8    2  

Missoula    040    000    11x    -    6    9    2  

Grant Taylor, Luke Cooper (7), Davis Pratt (8) and Mendoza. Ryan Wentz, M Alba (6), Zac Lampton (8), Arman Sabouri (9) and Nich Klemp.  

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — McLaughlin 1-2, Casserilla 2-5, Clarkson 0-5, Liniak 0-5, Levari 2-4, Manzo 1-3, Beard 0-3, Gavin Tonkel 0-3, Mendoza 2-4.   

MISSOULA PADDLEHEADS — Gordon 1-4, Pena 2-5, Rosario 1-4, Fogel 0-3, Sanchez 0-4, Klemp 0-3, Willman 3-4, Smith 1-3, Wilkerson 1-4.   

2B — Rosario. HR — Mendoza (1), Pena (7), Gordon (4). RBIs — Casserilla, Mendoza, Penas 2, Gordon 2, Wilkerson.