Bewildered in Billings: Range Riders Come Back in Ninth to Win Series Finale

BILLINGS, MT. – Before tonight, the Glacier Range Riders (36-25) had never in franchise history trailed entering the ninth inning in a road game and come back to win the contest. Under a cloudy nighttime sky at Dehler Park on Thursday night, that changed. Down two in the top of the ninth versus the Billings Mustangs (26-37), the Range Riders rallied for four runs thanks in big part to a Crews Taylor two-run bomb to complete a comeback and win the game 8-6.

The scoring started for Glacier in a hurry as Mason Dinesen doubled down the left field line in the first, before Matt Clayton knocked him home with a base hit. When Billings smashed a two-run homer in the second, Glacier answered with three runs in the third thanks to a two RBI knock from Dean Miller and a Ben Fitzgerald sac fly. Jonathan Clark was the starting pitcher on the bump, timely pitching and great defense helped him stay in the drivers seat as he had 6.2 inning pitched, three earned runs against, five strikeouts, and his defense turned three double plays.

The Range Riders got in trouble in the seventh when one run got across and a two out error put a runner on first. Billings then hit another home run and the lead was back in their hands. When more trouble appeared in the eighth, the Mustangs got one across before closer Justin Coleman locked it down to close the inning at 6-4 in favor of Billings.

Kingston Liniak fell behind 0-2 in the first at-bat of the ninth, but fought it to a full count before smacking a ball to the left center gap and trotting into third easily for a triple. Taylor then stepped up and after seeing a ball outside, he deposited a no-doubter over the right field fence to tie the game at six. After Jackson Raper had a pinch hit single, a fly out and Raper caught stealing seemed to rob Glacier of all their momentum to possibly take a lead. The stingy Mason Dinesen would not be denied, however, as he singled into center, then got to second when Miller ripped a hot shot to first that the Mustang fielder couldn't handle.

Replicating what they did in the first, Clayton then once again pushed Dinesen across with another base hit that just looped over the head of the third baseman and gave the Range Riders the edge. Miller would score on a wild pitch and Glacier then had a two-run advantage for Coleman to slam the door.

JCole left no doubt in the bottom of the ninth. A fly out, a strikeout, and a groundout to second finished off the Mustangs leaving the Range Riders victorious on the 21^st and final meeting of 2023 between the two cross-state rivals. Glacier won the season series 14-7.

Apart from this being the first time in history the Range Riders have trailed in a road game entering the ninth and come back to win, this is also just only the second time in history that it has happened, home or away, with the first being on June 15^th, 2022 at Glacier Bank Park also against…the Billings Mustangs. Glacier leads the all-time series against Billings 22-20.

The Range Riders now move to Centene Stadium in Great Falls, Montana where they match up with the Voyagers in a weekend series before returning home against Boise on Monday night. First pitch Friday night is scheduled for 7 PM.