New Pitcher Power! Wicklander’s Debut & Explosive Game 6 | Range Riders Weekly Update
In this week's Range Riders Recap, we dive into the team's latest series against Missoula, where new faces like Patrick Wicklander and Noah Owen made their debuts on the mound. Despite some tough losses, the Range Riders fought back with standout performances, including Wicklander’s impressive start and Ben Fitzgerald’s explosive game, highlighted by two home runs. We also explore the impact of recent roster changes as the team gears up for a crucial road series against Idaho Falls. Can these seasoned players help the Range Riders turn the tide in the second half of the season?
August 13, 2024
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TRANSCRIPT
Welcome everybody to the Keeping Score podcast from the Daily Inter Lake and Hagadone Sports Network, I am Josh Amick. This week on the Range Riders recap, we have yet again some new players to discuss, I will go over their series with Missoula and what to expect in their next series with Idaho Falls so without further ado, let’s get into it.
In game 1 against Missoula newcomer Patrick Wicklander dazzled in his Range Riders debut before things fell apart in the eighth inning and the Missoula PaddleHeads won 7-1.
In the Range Riders’ first game back home, Wicklander pitched seven innings and struck out 10 against the best hitting team in the Pioneer League.
Released from the AA Montgomery Biscuits, Wicklander had his agent contact the Range Riders’ bullpen coach. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Arkansas University and has made it as high as Triple-A. Here is what manager Paul Fletcher had to say about the signing.
In game 2, it was another debut with pitcher Noah Owen who was playing for the ACL Angels of the Arizona Complex League. Owen struggled, giving up 5 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings and Missoula won 5-1 as the Range Riders’ bats were stifled by the PaddleHeads pitching staff.
Game 3, Roberto Pena bested Christian Kirtley in the knockout round and the PaddleHeads beat the Range Riders 3-2 Thursday night. This came as a bit of a surprise as Kirtley does lead the team in home runs but so far this season when the game is forced into the knockout round Chad Castillo is the one chosen but wasn’t for this game. Gabe Howell homered in this game, his eighth of the season, and starter Cooper Benson pitched six strong innings, only allowing two earned runs.
Game 4 Jerry Huntzinger broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning with a double that scored two and the Range Riders snapped a three-game skid to beat the Missoula PaddleHeads 6-1 on Friday. Starter Kaleb Sophy kept the high-powered Missoula offense at bay with 6 2-3 innings allowing one run and striking out seven. The Range Riders scored 5 runs in the eighth inning to lead them to victory.
Game 5, the Range Riders bats were stifled again as they only had four team hits in their 6-1 loss. The only run scored by the Range Riders was by Andy Atwood who scored on an error by the third baseman.
In the final game of the series, it was my game of the week as the Range Riders bats exploded for 10 runs highlighted by Ben Fitzgerald hitting two home runs, one of them being a grand slam en route to his 4-for-5 day. Patrick Wicklander picked up his first win of the season, having plenty of run support compared to his game 1 start in the series. TJ Clarkson also hit a home run for the Range Riders, his first of the season and the Range Riders won the game 10-7.
That’s it for the Range Riders recap, so let’s get into this week’s edition in case you missed it. Wicklander and Owen both made their Range Riders debut’s this week and were accompanied by Kingston Liniak and Ryan McCarthy, both outfielders. Liniak was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 4th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Mission Hills high school in California. He played for the Range Riders last season and hit 20 home runs in 89 games played.
McCarthy played for the Great Falls Voyagers in 2023, then signed with the Minnesota Twins and was released earlier this season. Let’s take a listen to why he chose to sign with the team.
The Range Riders have had double-digit players added or subtracted in the past few weeks, trying to add more talent. They have stepped away from the college ranks and have added players drafted by MLB or reached high levels of the minor leagues or have once played in the Pioneer League. This should bode well for a team who is going to need high-level experience to turn around this second half and who won’t crack under the pressure of the postseason.
Looking ahead, they will head on the road to face Idaho Falls for just the second series this season. In their first series, the Range Riders took 2 out of 3 from Idaho Falls but that was back in June when this team looked a lot different. The new additions to this team have already made a huge impact and that will need to continue as they play their next 9 games on the road.
That’s it for this week’s recap, hopefully the Range Riders big win on Sunday will carry that momentum with them on this long road trip. For the Keeping Score Podcast from Daily Inter Lake and Hagadone Sports Network, I am Josh Amick and until next time take care.