Howell Leads the Charge in 5-2 Glacier Win

BILLINGS, MT. – The Glacier Range Riders (8-3) notched a big win Tuesday night, downing the Billings Mustangs (3-10) by a score of 5-2 to start their nine-game road trip with a win. Gabe Howell tripled to start the game, scored the opening run, and in the second, lashed a two-run single the give the Range Riders all the runs they would need to take the contest.

After Howell got to third on that leadoff triple, it was Dean Miller who slapped a single to score the Glacier shortstop for the first run of the game. In the second, it was Ryan Cash and Ben McConnell that got aboard for Howell to bring them across with a base hit up the middle. Additional run support came in the sixth when Ben Fitzgerald led off the inning with a triple and Matt Clayton pushed him across with a single. One inning later, Crews Taylor walked, Miller got him to second on a single, and he scored on a double play.

Noah Barros picked up his second win of the season on the bump, using the punchout pitch as a major tool to do so. In multiple innings, the Mustangs got runners in scoring position, but Barros kept their bats in check throwing eight strikeouts and allowing just one run on five hits. Connor Housley made his professional debut in the sixth, and while he allowed one run, he struck out the side to get out of the inning. Roy Robles went three up, three down with three K's in the seventh, while Nathan Thomas fired a scoreless eighth. John Natoli would enter with a three-run lead in the ninth and fire a scoreless frame to pick up his second save of the season.

First pitch was delayed by over an hour thanks to lightning in the area, but clearly, the Range Riders didn't skip a beat. With this win, Glacier picks up just their second-ever franchise win in Billings and move their record in their last ten games to 8-2. With Missoula getting walked off in Great Falls, the Range Riders take outright possession of first place in the North Division.

The Range Riders and Mustangs play game two of their six game stretch tomorrow, June 7^th, with first pitch slated for 6:35 PM at Dehler Park.