First GBP Inside-the-Parker Paves Way to 100th Win in Team History
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | X | 19 | 14 | 1 |
FLATHEAD VALLEY, MT. – JD McLaughlin nearly got an inside-the-park grand slam, but made amends one at-bat later when he completed the first inside-the-park home run in Glacier Bank Park history to help the Glacier Range Riders (7-3) to a convincing 19-4 victory over the Great Falls Voyagers (3-7). This win marks the 100th victory in franchise history.
It was a defensive logjam until the third inning when the Range Riders finally broke through thanks to an RBI single up the middle from Christian Kirtley. After Great Falls responded with a solo home run, the dam burst with an eight-run bottom of the fourth by Glacier. The highlight of the inning came with the bases loaded and McLaughlin torquing a ball to center field that went off the wall, wiped the bases clean, and got him into third with a triple. In the next inning, the Range Riders poured three more on with two RBI groundouts and a run-scoring base knock by Chad Castillo. Then, in the sixth, McLaughlin made park history with his inside-the-parker thanks to another powerful hit that when awkwardly off the wall, and his speed beat out the relay by the Voyagers.
With another run scored in the seventh, Glacier doused all hope of a comeback in the bottom of the eighth when they scored five more runs capped off by a Castillo bomb to make it 19-3. Andy Atwood grabbed his fifth hit of the game that inning, as well as his fifth run scored in the contest, both tying Range Rider single-game records. If that wasn't enough, Atwood came out finish the game from the mound, and fired two strikeouts while allowing just one run. Jerry Huntzinger, Aidan McEvoy, and Montana Quigley all fired scoreless innings in relief. Cooper Benson picked up his second win of the season with five innings and eight strikeouts.
The Range Riders take their second-best record into the league into another matchup with the Voyagers on Saturday night. First pitch is slated for 7:05 PM, but make sure to arrive early as there will be a pregame ceremony to honor Glacier Bank Park as the 2023 Ballpark of the Year at around 6:45 PM.