Chukars close out first half with a loss to the Range Riders
The Chukars scored first, but they were unable to defeat the Range Riders, falling 13-5 on Saturday night.
Chukars close out first half with a loss to the Range Riders
Will Vasseur
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho– The Chukars scored first, but they were unable to defeat the Range Riders, falling 13-5 on Saturday night.
Idaho Falls entered the game, looking to end the first half of the 2023 PBL season on a positive note.
Saturday saw Dylan Gotto get the ball for the Chukars, making his fourth start of the season.
Countering Gotto for the Range Riders was Patrick Miner, who was making his sixth start of the season.
Idaho Falls got the scoring started in the top of the first inning, when Trevor Halsema knocked an RBI single to center field, giving the Chukars a 1-0 lead.
The lead was short-lived though. Glacier captured the lead in the bottom of the first, thanks to RBIs from Kingston Liniak and Matt Clayton, giving them a 2-1 lead.
The Chukars responded in the top of the second, thanks to an RBI double from Bryce Brown to tie the game at 2-2.
In the top of the third inning, the Chukars recaptured the lead; thanks to an RBI single to left field from Hunter Hudson, giving his team a 3-2 lead.
The Range Riders punched back in the bottom of the third inning, when Jackson Raper hit a solo homerun, tying the game at 3-3.
Glacier took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to three runs on four hits, including a tw0-run RBI double from Dean Miller.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Christian Kirtley clubbed a two-run homerun to right center field for the Range Riders. Later in the inning, Ben McConnell knocked an RBI single, giving them a 9-3 lead.
The Range Riders struck again in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to a two-run homerun from Mason Dinesen.
Matt Clayton hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Range Riders a 12-3 lead.
Idaho Falls got a run back in the top of the eighth, thanks to an Eduardo Acosta RBI single to right field, making it 12-4.
Glacier got the run back in the bottom of the eighth, thanks to an RBI from Miller.
The Chukars scored again in the top of the ninth, thanks to a Tyler Wyatt RBI to score Mark Herron Jr. and make it 13-5.
In the end, the Range Riders marched on to a 13-5 win.
For the Chukars, Gotto was handed the loss, going 4.0 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on ten hits, while allowing two walks.
For the Range Riders, Miner collected the win, going 5.0 innings, and surrendering three runs on nine hits.
With the loss, the Chukars extended their losing streak to seven games, closing the first half of the season with a 16-32 record.
The Chukars will return to action on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. when they kick off the second half of the PBL season at Melaleuca Field against the Grand Junction Jackalopes.