Range Riders Score 10 Unanswered to Stun Mustangs, Walk Off in Home Opener

In the first game of the season at Glacier Bank Park, the Billings Mustangs scored early and often. They scored three runs in the first inning, then put up five runs in the third inning thanks to a three-run homer by Casey Harford and a solo homer from Connor Denning. After the Range Riders closed to within 8-3, Billings put up a four spot in the top of the sixth, including a two-run homer by Mitch Moralez, who drove in four on the night.  

Trailing 12-3, Glacier drew a little closer in the bottom half of the sixth on a solo homer from Ben Fitzgerald. They continued to chip away at the deficit in the seventh inning, scoring four unearned runs thanks to an error, an RBI groundout, and then a two-run single by Kingston Liniak. Glacier put men on second and third with one out in the eighth inning, but Gabe Howell's groundout gave a Billings a path to escape despite a run scoring. Former Mustang Crews Taylor smacked an RBI double, and back-to-back RBI singles by Jackson Raper and Liniak evened the score at 12. After John Natoli escaped a jam in the top of the ninth inning, the Range Riders loaded the bases on a single, an error, a sacrifice bunt, and an intentional walk. Taylor's broken-bat grounder was enough to score pinch runner Mason Dinesen with the winning run, giving the Range Riders a 13-12 victory. 

Owlz 11, Voyagers 10: Robertson Walks Off for Owlz to Cap Wild Comeback 

The series opener at Future Legends between Great Falls and Northern Colorado was all Voyagers for the first 5 ½ innings. Collin Runge homered and drove in four runs, and Cal Bocchino hit his first homer of the year to give Great Falls an 8-3 lead through the top of the sixth inning. The Owlz got a homer in the bottom of the frame from Danny Perez to cut the deficit to four, before Northern Colorado exploded in the bottom of the seventh. Estevan De La O hit a two-run double, newly-acquired Brandon Crosby hit a game-tying two-run homer, and Jackson Coutts immediately followed Crosby with a homer of his own to give the Owlz a 9-8 lead. The Voyagers responded in the ninth inning though – Ryan McCarthy cracked a game-tying homer, and Jake Malec was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give Great Falls a 10-9 lead. The Owlz wasted no time answering though. After back-to-back singles, Dave Matthews tied the game with a sacrifice fly, and Payton Robertson drilled a walk-off double to give the Owlz an 11-10 victory.  

PaddleHeads 17, Vibes 5: Missoula Routs Vibes Behind Huge Nights from Greenwalt, O'Connor 

In their home opener, the PaddleHeads jumped all over the Rocky Mountain pitching staff, led by a couple big games from Keaton Greenwalt and McClain O'Connor. Greenwalt smacked a two-run homer to cap off a four-run third inning, then drove in two with a double in a six-run fourth inning. Greenwalt came up with two men on base in the fifth inning and drove a three-run homer over the left-field fence, giving him two homers and seven RBIs on the night. O'Connor was in the middle of the big fifth-inning rally as well, hitting a solo homer for his second hit of the night. In the sixth inning, O'Connor mashed a two-run homer to extend the lead to 16-5, giving him four hits and four runs scored on the night. The 24-year-old tripled to lead off the eighth inning for his fifth hit of the game. This was also O'Connor's second multi-homer effort in the past three games. 

Rain Washes Out Both Games in Idaho 

Some inclement weather in the state of Idaho forced last night's games in Boise and Idaho Falls to be postponed. The Hawks and Raptors will begin a single-admission doubleheader today at 5:05 pm. The Chukars and Jackalopes will also play a doubleheader, with the first game beginning at 4:30 pm today.