Range Riders Roll Past PaddleHeads Friday In 11-2 Win
Pena Tallies 30th Home Run This Season In Loosing Effort
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 16 | 0 |
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1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
MISSOULA, MT- The PaddleHeads returned home on Friday night to open a 3-game set at Allegiance Field with the Glacier Range Riders. Missoula would get off to a quick start in the 1st inning thanks to Roberto Pena who would bring the PaddleHeads to the lead quickly. Glacier's offense would also start slowly out the gates with the first 7 batters going down in order to begin the ballgame. Once the ball got rolling for the Glacier offense, things would surely shift quickly.
The Range Riders would put 3 runs on the board in the top of the 3rd inning to grab the lead for the 1st time. Glacier would never relinquish this advantage from that point forward. The offense would also keep the wheels turning, scoring in consecutive innings from the 3rd through the 7th inning. Glacier's starter Jared Egman would also do more than hold up his end of the bargain in a fabulous effort in 7 innings of work. This would prove to be a winning formula as the Range Riders would cruise to a convincing 11-2 win to open this series.
Pena would take a fastball on the inside portion of the plate well over the left field wall to give the PaddleHeads a lead at 1-0 in the bottom of the 1st. The 1st baseman would watch the solo blast sour 440 feet to the left of the scoreboard. The solo blast for Pena was his 30th of the season. The Kansas State product joined Jayson Newman, and Adam Fogel as the only 2 players in Pioneer League history to reach the 30 home run threshold in a regular season. Pena would finish the contest 1-for-3.
After a slow start, Glacier's offense kicked into gear in the 3rd behind a 3-run rally. Catcher Angel Mendoza would bring home the first run of the frame with a single to knock things up on the scoreboard. Logan Beard, and Eli Paton would later come through with 2-outs to do more damage. A double from Beard would give Glacier the lead at 2-1. Paton would knock home the 2nd baseman in the next at-bat to give the Range Riders a 3-1 advantage.
Home runs in consecutive innings would keep the ball rolling for Glacier in the next 2 innings. Kingston Liniak would be the first to strike in the top of the 4th hitting a line drive shot to left field. TJ Clarkson would then get in on the act in the 5th hitting a solo blast to right field to make the score 5-1. Liniak would have a big night collectively knocking in 3 runs in a 3-for-5 performance. Clarkson scored a pair of runs and knocked in another, finishing 2-for-5.
This offensive production for Egman would prove to be plenty of support for the 2nd year professional en route to a win on the mound. The former Washington Husky would allow only 3 hits in his time on the mound striking out 8 PaddleHeads hitters in 7 innings of work. Egman retired 9 consecutive batters in his best stretch that spanned from the 4th up to the 7th inning. Glacier would also put Missoula away with another big inning in the top of the 7th.
The Range Riders would tally 5 hits in the top of the 7th inning alone in a 4-run rally to break the game open. Rookie left fielder Jake Millan would get the party started hitting a double to knock in a pair. Designated hitter Jack Lynch would bring him home in the next at-bat with a triple. Liniak would then put on the finishing touches of the frame to give Glacier a 10-2 advantage.
Millan scored 3 runs in the game finishing 1-for-3. Lynch would also be a main contributor throughout in a 3-for-5 effort. Glacier's offense would tally 15 hits collectively in what would end up being a comfortable victory. The PaddleHeads will look for a different result Saturday night with their offense being held off the board in every inning after the 3rd.
Glacier (25-39) will look to keep the good vibrations rolling having won each of their last 5 contests. The PaddleHeads (43-21) will hope that Saturday's game 2 will have a different feel to have a chance to even this 3-game set with their in-state rival. First pitch is slated for 7:15 p.m. Listen to the call on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.
