Kubiuk and McCabe Shine Again as Raptors Bullpen Shuts the Door on Hawks
The only two teams that carried a winning record into the 2nd half from the South division have struggled out of the gate. This is partly due to this win for the Raptors leveling the series at two games apiece. There was no scoring until the 5th when Sam Olsson drove in two for the Hawks. The Raptors finally broke through in the 6th, where the 1-2-3 punch of Ultsch, Alexiades and Williams singled, reached base and homered to give the lead back to Ogden. It was the bullpen that dominated from here allowing no hits and striking out seven of the last twelve outs in the 4-2 win. Brandon McCabe and Dan Kubiuk continued their unbelievable seasons out of the pen, with McCabe getting the hold and Kubiuk netting his ninth save and bringing him to 21.1 innings on the year and still 0 runs allowed.
Glacier 9, Missoula 7: Range Riders Hot Start Carries Them to Victory Over PaddleHeads
In a series that has included a knockout round on Wednesday and a blowout on Thursday, this contest was a little more back to earth. Missoula has weathered the storm that is their tough schedule to start the 2nd half to a 6-4 record after this loss. The usually dominant starting pitching for the PaddleHeads didn't happen in this one as the Range Rider bats were on fire in the 1st with all nine batters appearing in the first frame. At the end of the 2nd the scoreboard showed 7-1 in favor of the home side and Glacier held the lead from there. Gabe Howell has another good day going 3-4 with a RBI, and Matt Clayton knocked in three with his two hits. With the series even at two both teams can still take it going into the weekend, starting tonight at 7:05.
Rocky Mountain 11, Grand Junction 4: Vibes Mount Late Comeback Versus Jackalopes
The Vibes have had an amazing turnaround in their season and are carrying that momentum into the 2nd half. Through their first 30 games the Vibes sat at 10-20, struggling to match great hitting and solid pitching performances together. Over the last month the script has flipped with the Vibes going 17-10 and this win putting them at 7-3 to start the 2nd half, leading the South division. This contest wasn't all Vibes though as homers by Hubbard and Washington gave the Jackalopes an early 4-1 lead. However, starting in the 6th Rocky Mountain woke up, scoring in bursts as they've done all year with ten runs in the three innings following. A strong start from Peyton Long that including eight Ks was followed by three good innings of relief to give the Vibes the 11-4 win.
Billings 10, Great Falls 5: Denning Knocks in Four in Mustangs' Win Against Voyagers
The Voyagers have been quite a revelation to start the 2nd half, starting 7-3 after ending the first half 16 games under .500. However, the Mustangs got the best of them in last night's lightning shortened game by putting on a hitting display. Billings scored 10 runs on 12 hits with only 3 extra base hits, spraying the ball all over the field off the Voyagers pitchers. It was the 4th where they did most of their damage, scoring five including a two-RBI double by third baseman Connor Denning. Denning ended the day perfect, reaching in all four of his plate appearances with four runs batted as well. The Voyagers will look to bounce back and continue their hot start Tonight at 7:00 in Great Falls.
NoCo 13, Idaho Falls 6: Owlz Dominate Early and Ride Lead to Win Against Chukars
Northern Colorado looked good in all facets in Friday's game versus Idaho Falls and holding a 10-2 after the 2nd may have helped. The first baseman/catcher duo of Jackson Coutts and Jordan Rathbone both delivered in the first with three-RBI hits. On the mound Tyler Johnson had a solid start and the bullpen delivered as well, allowing two hits over four innings, including an efficient four-batter inning from JC Coronado. The Chukars have not seen the same 2nd half surge that other struggling teams have, as they've allowed over 12 runs per game over their first ten games since the break, going 2-8. They will look to bounce back tonight at 7:05.