Schneider, Guadalupe Shine as Owlz Down Jackalopes
The Jackalopes and Owlz renewed their inter-state rivalry, and Northern Colorado’s offense scored early and often.
The Jackalopes and Owlz renewed their inter-state rivalry, and Northern Colorado's offense scored early and often. Dave Matthews hit a two-run homer to cap a three-run first inning, and Abdel Guadalupe hit a two-run homer of his own to extend the lead in the second. Former PBL Draft pick Euro Diaz chipped in a two-run single in the third before Guadalupe drove in his third run of the game with a single in the fifth. Guadalupe is tied for second in the PBL with 10 homers and ranks sixth with 35 RBIs. On the mound, Austin Schneider was brilliant for the Owlz, allowing just five hits and one run with 10 strikeouts in six innings.
Ogden 15, Idaho Falls 4: Raptors Bang Out 18 Hits in Rout of Chukars
The first-place Raptors welcomed the Idaho Falls Chukars to Ogden, and their offense wasted no time asserting their dominance. Every player in the Ogden starting lineup reached base safely, and Reese Alexiades, Logan Williams, and Sal Gozzo all hit homers. A 2021 PBL Draft pick, Alexiades went 4-for-6 on the night and leads the PBL with 12 long balls on the season. 2023 Draft pick Nick Ultsch collected three hits and a walk, and lead-off man Cameron Phelts went 3-for-6 with a triple, a steal, and three RBIs. The Raptors have now won three games in a row and nine of their last 11, and are a game and a half ahead of Boise in the South Division.
Missoula 6, Great Falls 5: Navarro Goes Deep Twice, PaddleHeads Hold off Late Charge From Voyagers
In a matchup of opposite ends of the North Division standings, the Voyagers jumped out to an early lead on a Jaylyn Williams RBI single. However, the PaddleHeads' offense woke up in the fourth inning, with Luis Navarro's two-run homer putting Missoula in front. Keaton Greenwalt added a solo homer in the sixth, and Navarro immediately followed with his second homer of the game. Austin Bernard drove in his second run of the game to give Missoula a 6-2 lead, but Great Falls didn't go away easily. Derek Kolbush homered in the seventh, Williams hit another RBI single in the eighth, and Jake Malec's two-out RBI single in the ninth brought the Voyagers to within a run. However, Mark Simon got Riley Jepson to ground out to strand the possible tying and winning runs on base. At 24-7, the PaddleHeads have a comfortable six-game lead over Glacier in the North Division.
Rocky Mountain 8, Billings 6: Balanced Attack Leads Vibes to Victory
It was a complete team effort from the Vibes' offense that proved to be too much for the Mustangs in Tuesday's series opener in Colorado Springs. Seven different players recorded at least one hit, including two-hit efforts by Brandon Crosby, Brett Carson, Dusty Stroup, and Jacob Barfield. Carson hit a two-run homer, Barfield smacked a two-run double, and Casey Petersen added an RBI double. Wyatt Crenshaw led a comeback attempt for the Mustangs with an RBI single and a two-run homer, but it was too little, too late.
Boise 10, Glacier 7: Kaler's Big Night Powers Hawks Past Range Riders
In a battle of second-place teams, the Hawks struck first thanks to a Glacier error in the second inning, allowing Sean Skelly to score. With two outs, the roof came crashing in on the Range Riders, as Kole Kaler cracked a grand slam over the right-field fence to cap a five-run frame. Kaler brought home another run with a single in the fourth inning – the first of four runs Boise scored in the inning. Raymond Gil homered to extend the lead, and after the Range Riders drew closer, Nate Alexander struck out Gabe Howell representing the tying run to lock down the victory.
