Vibes Top Range Riders 10-7 For Second Straight Win

Hudson Ridley

KALISPELL, Mont. The Rocky Mountain Vibes bested the Glacier Range Riders 10-7 on Thursday night. After a hectic last game in Missoula which saw tensions boil over, the Vibes hopped on a bus and made the trip north for game one of this series with the Range Riders.

Christian Day would see his second start of the year for Rocky Mountain, facing off against Patrick Milner of Glacier. 

Milner started off the game on fire, fanning three batters in the top of the first. However, his luck would run out in the top of the second on a two run home run to left field from Sonny Ulliana to open the scoring. Glacier would respond in the next frame on a solo shot from Matt Clayton, his only hit of the day.

This matchup would ultimately be defined by the long ball. A total of seven home runs would be hit on the night, four for the Vibes and three for the Range Riders. Dusty Stroup would homer in the top of the third driving in two runs and increasing the Vibes lead to 4-1. 

Following a Jackson Raper RBI single in the bottom of the third it would be all Vibes. The combination of Dusty Stroup and Jacob Barfield gave Rocky Mountain a significant advantage at the plate. Over the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings the two either scored or came across the plate on four separate runs, boosting the Vibes lead to 9-2. Carson Maxwell was also nearly in on the scoring party after a deep fly ball came feet from leaving the field before it was robbed by Glacier centerfielder Kingston Liniak.

Christian Day's outing would end in the seventh as Caleb Sloan was called on in his place. Day's final line would read 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO. On the other side Patrick Milner would be pulled in the sixth inning with a line of 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO.

Sloan would struggle for the Vibes, allowing the Range Riders to storm back into the game in the bottom of the eighth. Glacier would put up four runs in the frame before Dutch Landis was called on to close out the contest.

The dagger came in the top of the ninth on a Jacob Barfield bomb home run, his second of the game.

After a one run bottom of the ninth Rocky Mountain would secure the victory 10-7. That now marks back to back wins on this Montana road trip for the Vibes.

A promising sign for Vibes fans in this game was the resurgence of Jacob Barfield. After struggling in the early part of the season Barfield would go 2 for 4, with 3 H, 2 HR, and 4 RBIs.

The Vibes are back in action on Saturday night for the second of three games against the Range Riders. First pitch is slated for 7:05.