Vibes Break up No-No, Shock Jackalopes in Knockout Round Victory

For most of Tuesday night's game, it was the Justin Kleinsorge show in Grand Junction. The right-hander didn't allow a base runner until the seventh inning and carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning. The Jackalopes tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth for Kleinsorge, who struck out 11 on the night. In the top of the ninth, Kleinsorge walked Austin Elder to lead off the inning and Matt Hogan broke up the no-hitter by smacking a two-run homer. After Kleinsorge was pulled, Ethan Lopez cracked a solo homer with one out, and Jacob Barfield singled home Dusty Stroup to tie the game. The Jacks went down in order in the bottom of the frame, and Stroup emerged victorious over Ron Washington Jr. in the Knockout Round to deliver Grand Junction a gut-wrenching defeat. 

Ogden 4, Northern Colorado 3 (KO-2): Raptors Recover from Rare Bullpen Hiccup, Win in Knockout Round for First Time 

The Ogden bullpen has been nearly untouchable in the 2023 season, but they suffered a rare setback on Tuesday night. Josh Glenn's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning off Brandon McCabe evened the score at three, and the teams traded scoreless innings in the ninth. In the Knockout Round, Reese Alexiades and Dave Matthews both hit three homers, forcing a second round. Logan Williams prevailed in the following round, giving Ogden their first-ever Knockout Round victory. 

Great Falls 5, Billings 4: Williams Comes up Big Again as Voyagers Rally Past Mustangs 

July's North Division Batter of the Month, Jaylyn Williams, had another clutch performance for Great Falls, leading them to a comeback victory over the Mustangs. Williams smacked an RBI double to open the scoring in the first inning, but Billings scored once in the third, twice in the fourth, and added another tally on an Alejandro Figueredo homer in the fifth. Riley Jepson drew the Voyagers a little closer with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, and Xane Washington trimmed the deficit again with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. Later in the seventh, Williams singled home two more runs to give Great Falls a 5-4 lead. Tommy Snyder and Andrew Garcia combined to record the last nine outs of the game, including four strikeouts. 

Idaho Falls 10, Glacier 8: Bohning's Big Night Keys Chukars' Victory 

Idaho Falls scored in just three frames against Glacier in their series opener, but that's all they needed for their victory. Glacier jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning, but Idaho Falls answered with a Mark Herron Jr. three-run homer in the bottom of the inning. The Chukars added three more runs in the fourth, capped by a two-run homer off the bat of Brandon Bohning. The Range Riders responded with three runs in the fifth on a Dean Miller RBI double and Ben Fitzgerald's two-run shot, and Glacier tied the score in the seventh when Fitzgerald was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. In the bottom of the eighth though, Herron Jr. delivered an RBI single, and Bohning cleared the bases with a triple to give the Chukars a 10-6 lead. Miller hit a two-run to draw Glacier closer in the ninth, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit. 

Missoula 13, Boise 7: Navarro Drives in Five to Lead PaddleHeads Past Hawks 

Boise jumped out to a 1-0 in the third inning of their series opener in Missoula, but that lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the inning, McClain O'Connor and Keaton Greenwalt hit RBI singles before Luis Navarro cracked a grand slam to punctuate the rally. It was all PaddleHeads from there on out, including home runs from Greenwalt and Dondrei Hubbard. Navarro added another RBI in the seventh inning on a double. Every hitter in the Missoula lineup collected at least one hit, and six of the nine starters had multiple knocks. Izzy Fuentes had a solid start for the PaddleHeads, allowing just two runs in six innings of work. Missoula has now won four games in a row and lead the North second-half standings by five games.