Range Riders Close First Half on Nine-Game Win Streak

Glacier is the hottest team in the PBL right now, and a phenomenal sweep at home over the week against the Chukars meant the Range Riders now tally their win streak at nine in a row going into the short break before play resumes for the second half of the PBL season. Before this week-long contest against the Chukars began, Glacier came from a sweep at Billings and a series win against the Raptors, and with Saturday's win are now 12-2 in July. A strong offensive performance was the key to winning Saturday's game, with every player going into the plate recording a hit, seven of those players going for at least two hits, and Jackson Raper, Gabe Howell, and Matt Clayton all going for three hits in the day. Raper, alongside Christian Kirtley and Mason Dinesen, each hit a home run for Glacier, who scored runs in every inning except for the second. The Range Riders finished the first half in second place in the North, only three games short of Missoula. Glacier stays in Kalispell for an intra-state series against Billings, as Idaho Falls hosts an interdivisional series against Grand Junction. 

Rocky Mountain 9, Ogden 8: Late Push by Raptors Not Enough for Victory 

Ogden was aiming for a win to cap off the last game of the first half of the PBL season, but visiting Rocky Mountain had other plans, and took control early in the game. A three-run homer by Joe Encarnacion in the top of the third gave the Vibes a 6-1 lead that would only be threatened by the Raptors in the bottom seventh, when the Raptors scored four runs on singles and pitching mistakes. A single in the top of the eighth by Encarnacion produced his fourth RBI of the day and provided the Vibes with an insurance run for a 9-7 score going into the final inning, where the Raptors got one back but ultimately fell short. Gerrit van Zijll made his PBL debut on the mound for Ogden coming on relief, posting seven strikeouts in just three and a third innings of work, but ceding five walks. Chris Macca recorded his first save of the season for the Vibes. The Raptors took five of the seven games over the Vibes, which granted them a South Division-best 31-17 record for the first half of the season, three games over Boise. Ogden will resume play next week in Missoula in an exciting series against the North First-Half champion PaddleHeads, while the Vibes go to Windsor to face their state rivals Owlz.  

Missoula 8, Great Falls 5: North Champs Complete First Half with Commanding Series Win  

The PaddleHeads dominated this week-long series, with a win last Wednesday guaranteeing the North Division First-Half title for the fifth straight time, the second team in PBL history to achieve such a feat. After dropping the following game on Thursday, Missoula never looked back, and the win on Saturday meant the series ended 5-1 in their favor. Alfredo Villa, the PBL North Pitcher of the month, had another strong game on the mound, working five solid innings, recording four strikeouts, and not conceding any runs. Andrew Garcia, on the other hand, finished the game strong for the Voyagers on two scoreless innings while fanning four. Highlighted by Dondrei Hubbard's four-hit,three-RBI performance, Missoula's bats woke up early, posting a 5-0 lead by the end of the second and adding three more by the seventh, when Great Falls managed to score five runs in the bottom half of the inning. Missoula finished the first half of the season with a 35-13 record, three games over the Range Riders. Missoula now travels back home and hosts an intriguing contest against the South First-Half champion Raptors, while the Voyagers go to Idaho to play the Boise Hawks. 

Northern Colorado 13, Grand Junction 7: Owlz Resurge to Win, Tie Weekly Series 

After Friday's games, only two games separated state rivals Northern Colorado and Grand Junction in the standings. The Jackalopes took the first three games in this week-long Colorado series, with the Owlz taking the following two, so a big finale was due on Saturday. If earlier in the week the Jacks were on a clear path for a sweep, course was reversed, and the Owlz fought back to even up the series. Payton Robertson had an eventful day for the visitors, only lacking a homer for the cycle, but also recording a walk and a stolen base. Joe Johnson and Ethan Smith both homered for the Jackalopes, but Northern Colorado's six runs in the top second had already placed the visitors out of reach. The Owlz, led by Brandon Kaminer, had three pitchers combine for 13 strikeouts, while a bullpen day for Grand Junction meant that eight pitchers took the mound for the home team.  

Boise 8, Billings 3: Hawks Score Early and Often to Take Down Mustangs 

Boise dominated Billings over the course of this week-long series, taking five of the six games. Things were not different on Saturday when the Hawks scored runs on most of their opportunities to build a considerable lead over the Mustangs. Trevor Minder homered for the Hawks, while Taylor Lomack and Gabe Wurtz each hit a homer, combining production for the three Mustang runs. Braydon Spears had another solid day on the mound for Boise, going six innings strong with four strikeouts to record his fourth win of the season. The Hawks finished short of Ogden in the standings for the first half of the season in the South, three games behind the Raptors.