Pioneer League: Riders' HR barrage buries Billings
Jul. 21—Gabe Howell doubled and hit two homers, and the Glacier Range Riders got back on the winning track Thursday with a 9-1 rout of the Billings Mustangs.
Dean Miller and Crews Taylor also homered for the Range Riders (2-1 this half), who have won 11 of 12 Pioneer League games and are 21-6 at Glacier Bank Park.
The power surge backed a very strong start from pitcher Jack White, who went seven shutout innings. He allowed four hits and one walk, and struck out 11.
After getting no-hit for eight innings in an 8-3 loss Wednesday, Glacier jumped on Billings pitcher Jalen Evans early, with Howell hitting a lead-off double.
Howell got to third, then scored on groundouts by Jackson Raper and Miller. Then Crews Taylor came up and hit a two-out solo home run, his seventh. That made it 2-0 — all the runs the Range Riders needed.
The gap grew to 3-0 when Benjamin Fitzgearld scored on a wild pitch in the third inning, and 4-0 on Kingston Liniak's sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Howell hit two-run homers in the fourth and sixth innings, his 10th and 11th this season; the latter made it 9-0. In between, Miller hit his fifth homer, a solo shot, in the fifth.
Joseph Kinsky and Roy Robles each threw an inning of relief for Glacier. Kinsky gave up a run in the eighth.
Howell scored three runs and Miller and Matt Clayton scored twice for the Range Riders, who now head to Billings for a three-game series with the Mustangs.
Mustangs 000 000 010 — 1 5 0
Riders 211 212 00x — 9 8 1
Jalen Evans, Tristen Hudson (5), Jared Kengott (6), Keagan McGinnis (7), Tyler Statler (8) and John Michael Faile. Jack White, Joseph Kinsky (8), Roy Robles (9) and Matt Clayton. WP — White (1-1). LP — Evans (2-4).
BILLINGS MUSTANGS — Mikey Edie 2-4, Taylor Lomack 0-3, Gabe Wurtz 2-4, Mitch Moralez 0-4, Faile 0-4, Luke Fennelly -4, Bryce Donovan 0-4, Jason Ajamian 0-2, Emmanuel Sanchez 0-3.
GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Gabe Howell 3-3, Jackson Raper 0-3, Dean Miller 2-4, Crews Taylor 1-4, Kingston Liniak 0-2, Banjaming Fitzgerald 1-4, Clayton 0-2, Mason Dinesen 0-4, Nick Lucky 1-3.
2B — Howell, Miller, Fitzgerald, Lucky. HR — Howell 2 (11), Miller (5), Taylor (7). RBIs — Lomack, Howell 4, Miller 2, Taylor, Liniak.
