Chukars Sweep Range Riders in 9-6 Victory

KALISPELL, MT - Brendan Hueth hit his first professional home run as the Idaho Falls Chukars (5-1) swept the Glacier Range Riders (1-5) in a 9-6 win on Sunday afternoon at Flathed Field. With the three-game sweep over the Range RIders, the Chukars take first place in the North Division, and will finish the season against Glacier with a record of 7-2. 

The Chukars opened the scoring in the first. On the first pitch of the ballgame, Steve Barmakian lined a singled off the forearm of starting pitcher Austin Edwards (L, 0-5) and Calvin Estrada drew a walk. With two outs, Jose Reyes lifted a single to left center field for a base hit, scoring Barmakian. An error in left field by Brian William allowed Estrada to score and make it 2-0.

Glacier countered against Tom Walker (W, 2-3) in the home half on a sac fly from Brody Wofford to cut into the deficit, 2-1. 

Over the next four innings, the Chukars consistent bats added to their lead over Glacier. In the second, Barmakian belted an RBI double to left center field to extend the lead to 3-1. 

With two outs in the third, Tyler Kelly doubled home Dusty Stroup to grow the lead further to 4-1. Brady West stepped to the plate and popped a fly ball towards shallow left field. Glacier third baseman Dean Miller dropped the potential inning-ending pop fly, which allowed Kelly to score on the error and make it 5-1.

Estrada added to the lead in the fourth on a two-out, solo homer crushed to left field. It was his 13th of the season and made it a 6-1 ballgame. 

Facing reliever Dawson Day in the fifth, Kelly smashed a leadoff homer to left field to give the Chukars a 7-1 advantage. Hueth kept the offense hot with his first professional home run, an oppsite field blast that made it 8-1 Chukars.

Walker kept the Range Riders guessing throughout his first start with the Chukars. After allowing a two-out single from Williams in the second, Walker would retire the next 13 Glacier batters he faced, tossing four straight 1-2-3 innings. He worked through the sixth inning, allowing only one run on three hits, no walks and four strikeouts.

A Hueth infield single in the seventh scored Jose Reyes from third base, capping the scoring for the Chukars, 9-1. 

The Range Riders would not go quietely however. Facing Alex Fishberg, Livingston Morris awakened the Glacier bats with a solo homer to left center field. Now down 9-2, the Range RIders would knock in four runs against Fishberg and Logan Bender to make it 9-6 going into the final frame. 

Jon Nunnally Jr (SV, 1) took to the mound in the bottom of the ninth. On his 27th birthday, he came through for the Chukars to earn his first save of the season, working around a one-out single to secure the first series sweep for Idaho Falls.

The Chukars will enjoy an off-day on Monday before starting up a six-game series on the road against the Great Falls Voyagers, with first pitch on Tuesday scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The Chukars will start LHP Victor Rodriguez, and the Voyagers starter is TBD.