this is Josh amck from the daily Interlake in the keeping score podcast and I'm here with Christian kurtley the range Riders all-time leading home run hitter and so we talked a couple of uh games ago when you were saying that um what the keys were for that Missoula series and what do you think kind of went wrong with that Series yeah I mean a lot of things I guess you could say but I know we talked earlier and it was slow the game down win one pitch at a time and I think you know we …

this is Josh amck from the daily Interlake in the keeping score podcast and I'm here with Christian kurtley the range Riders all-time leading home run hitter and so we talked a couple of uh games ago when you were saying that um what the keys were for that Missoula series and what do you think kind of went wrong with that Series yeah I mean a lot of things I guess you could say but I know we talked earlier and it was slow the game down win one pitch at a time and I think you know we didn't do that that good a job at that um I mean honestly simple simple to it we just have to play better we have to hit better we have to pitch a little bit better and everybody's just got to you know kind of pull from the same side of the road is there any um change in as far as the the clubhouse Vibes go with having a tough Series against a team that you guys are you know you're trying to chase or or is it or is it on to the next series and just stay focused um I I would say that it's on to the next series and stay focused there is a little bit more of like hey trying to pick each other up and make sure we're you know hey don't you know I know we had a tough week but it's okay like you know it's the game of baseball so you know let's get going here so that that that kind of vibe but um yeah it's not it's not like down or or bad or anything in there so yeah um kind of pivoting more towards about you that week when you uh were the Pioneer Pioneer League player of the week you had that game where you hit three home runs I think you finished with six on the entire week have you ever had a hot streak like that in your career before I mean I've definitely been hot but I think that game at 10 RBI three home runs and then I hit three more home runs so I don't know probably not no way I mean I've definitely been hot before but that was that was that was the hottest for sure that was good that was a good week was um that whole week was it something different I know a lot of baseball players talk about how important it is having a clear backdrop at certain Fields I know you did all that on the road did was there just something about the ballpark or was just how you felt that week what was the main thing in that that successful week you really went off I mean honestly I didn't it's not like I woke up and I was like dang I feel great today I just kind of same day as always rolled into the park collected a couple hits and they just happen to go out of the yard and I was like sweet you know let's go and then as you as you go from there you start gaining that confidence and you're like oh yeah you know these guys ain't getting me there ain't no way so you know you just kind of building in snowballs like that and you just got to try and keep that momentum rolling for the next couple weeks now be honest with me when when you got two dingers already under your belt are you going up there like I'm trying to hit this one out too or is your plate approach always stay the same no matter what you're not looking at individual stats or were you batting the lineup or you also trying to drive the ball no matter what too well in that specific scenario I had two and we were down by one and I think I was the lead off hitter of that inning and I you know by that I'm feeling it you know I'm feeling good so I'm like you know what we're looking to drive this ball in the air like you know if I miss it's got to be in the air and I just so happen to to crush it in the air and it went out for my third one one I tied the game so I mean I'm I'm I can run a little bit but if I hit a single there you know we need to get something going so a double or home run there is ideal for us so yeah I was trying to get get the ball in the air speaking of scenario based uh there was a game last week where your guys are you guys are down your final out you're down three runs you hit the game tying three run home run is that play approach is just I'm going yard or I'm swinging for the fences no matter what when you're down your final out or or you still just trying to move on to the next hitter um same kind of scenario I'm trying to drive the ball in the air I I hit home runs I know how to hit home runs so I know that that's definitely in my bag um if he throws me a fast ball where he threw it to me that's where I was looking I know it's going over the fence and I'm tying this game so I mean if he throws it somewhere else and I try you know fight it off or or work my work my head bad and try to keep the inning alive but I mean down to our last strike two outs we're down by three with your on hitter up you know you know he's got to do something there you know what I'm saying so I uh I spoke to Fletcher earlier in the season when I was just getting familiar with this team and he was saying that he believes that you're one of the top hitters in the entire Pioneer league has that always been the kind of role you have been in or is that something that just has developed over time after your time that you see Santa barar did you kind of like start like I spoke with Mason and he was saying kind of at his age 25 he knows his body he's getting more stronger are you kind of that that same position or have you always been a long ball hitter middle of the order type of guy I've definitely been more of the middle middle of the order type of guy I would say in college that I I I definitely wasn't as good as I am now um then same go it goes with what Mason's saying just getting older and and understanding what's going on and experience you know all that stuff helps yeah in college I mean I had I definitely did not hit as good as I should have in college I was still a middle of the order bat still had some good juice but then you know once I got here and things started clicking and I started you know just gaining that confidence you know that's what I try to do every day now this next series coming up I feel like you guys have been on the road for three or the last four series been long series too you got that day off yesterday that's all you got you're right back to the six game schedule how important is it to come out um back to range Riders baseball for this series get you guys back on track for the second half oh I mean it's huge I mean if we we got to come out swinging we got to come out throwing the rock um we had an off day yesterday yesterday we're back at home like you said it's been a long couple weeks so I mean being back at home being comfortable and and and just you know in front of the home fans and stuff like that it's it would be you know we got to get off on the right foot here and get that snowball moving in the right direction so that we can start taking off again here then a little light one for you last week you kind of talked about how Gabe's kind of on your heels the Home Run Derby do you guys have any side bets or anything going on saying like if you pass me by seasons in I'm taking you out to dinner anything like that going on with him no we don't have any side bets but but he oh every time he hits one he lets me know every time he's like Curly I'm on that tail I'm on that tail but I mean you know his job is to try and take take it from me and my job is to not give it up so it just is what it is that's the game and I love it you know G Gabe's an awesome guy and uh you know he's hilarious and I I love the Home Run Race so let's let's do it