Dinesen’s Grand Slam Snaps a Pair of Streaks in Glacier

Coming into Sunday, the PaddleHeads had ripped off 10 straight wins while the Range Riders had dropped six in a row. Both runs were snapped in the series finale as Glacier won a back-and-forth battle 14-11. A 4-4 ballgame after two, starters Izzy Fuentes and Noah Barros settled down until the fireworks resumed in the sixth. Catcher Sam Olssen, playing in just his second game this year, put Missoula on top with a solo shot, before Crews Taylor plated two and a Dean Miller double cleared the bases as part of a five-run frame for the Range Riders. Missoula brought two runs across in each of the final three innings, but it was Mason Dinesen who stole the show with an eighth-inning grand slam, his second shot of the day in a six-RBI effort. The two sides combined for nine home runs, seven doubles and a triple in a pitcher's nightmare of an afternoon – every hurler who toed the rubber gave up at least one run. Glacier's Ben McConnell stole three bases to tie the league's lead with 12. After a tough week, Glacier remains in second place, still well behind the 18-6 PaddleHeads in the North Division. 

Boise 5, Rocky Mountain 0: Spears Steers Hawks to Shutout, Sweep 

Brayden Spears fanned six Vibes batters across six scoreless innings as Boise completed a commanding weekend sweep while wearing their Sunday special Boise Papas Fritas uniforms. Casey Dykstra and Alex Baeza homered, and DJ Poteet tripled to cap a complete performance for the home side that ties Ogden atop the South Division with the win. Mike Peterson and Nate Alexander were strong out of the bullpen, giving up two hits in the final three innings. Jacob Barfield was the only Vibes hitter with multiple hits as Rocky Mountain is now the only club in the South with a losing record, having lost five in a row. 

Idaho Falls 11, Ogden 7: Rodriguez' Stellar Relief Outing Gives Chukars Victory 

When Idaho Falls starter Armando Valle lasted just six batters giving up four early Ogden runs, it seemed the Chukars were in for yet another rough outing. Reliever Victor Rodriguez had other ideas, putting in his best outing of the season while his lineup put 11 across in the first five innings to avoid the weekend sweep. Rodriguez picked up Valle's scraps and went 4 2/3 scoreless, giving up three hits and punching out four. The heart of the Idaho Falls lineup was again key, with home runs from Sam Troyer, Tyler Wyatt and Mark Herron Jr. Trevor Halsema also contributed two RBIs. The Raptors were able to generate some offense off Bryant Bagshaw in the ninth, but their three-run rally was much too little, much too late. The Chukars sit at 11-13, with the Raptors falling to 14-10. 

Grand Junction 8, Northern Colorado 7: Jacks Fend Off Owlz Rally 

The Owlz' roller coaster season continues as they drop three straight at home this weekend, and for the second week in a row, Northern Colorado closes the week with three losses after starting it with three wins. The Jacks took advantage of five errors in the field and staved off a rally to come away with the road sweep behind 15 hits. Kokko Figueiredo doubled and scored two to spearhead a four-run second to get the action started. Jaylen Hubbard hit the lone homer of the day for Grand Junction, driving in another run with a single. Jacob Cruce, Anthony Ray, and Trevor McGee contributed three hits each for the victors. Henry George, Abdel Guadalupe, Dave Matthews, and Jackson Coutts all homered in the late stages, and the Owlz had runners on the corners in the final frame, but Aldo Buendia was able to escape and earn the save. The Jackalopes climb to 12-12 while the Owlz move to 13-10. 

Great Falls 8, Billings 4: Voyagers Secure Home Leg vs Mustangs 

After dropping all three outings in Billings this week, Great Falls took the home leg of the series this weekend capped by an 8-4 win on Sunday. Tyler Wilber got things started with an RBI single in the first, but the Voyagers grabbed three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning and never looked back. Ryan McCarthy continued his solid week by driving in two and scoring on a wild pitch. Jaylyn Williams' two-run blast in the eighth stretched the lead to four and left the result in no doubt. Great Falls only needed seven hits to secure the win, aided by three fielding errors for the Mustangs. Taylor Lomack stayed hot this weekend, leaving the yard for the second time this year for Billings. Both sides remain well below .500 and make up the bottom of the North Division to close the week.