Defense Can't Hold On; 'Stangs Fall 13-12 to Glacier

Despite a 12-3 lead to the 6th inning, the Mustangs fall to the Glacier Range Riders 13-12 on a walkoff single by Glacier's Crews Taylor.

The Mustangs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on RBIs from left-fielder Taylor Lomack, second baseman Mitch Moralez, and an RBI single for Tyler Wilber.

The Mustangs put up a 5-spot on the Range Riders in the top of the third with an RBI double by Moralez and back-to-back bombs, including a 3-run blast by shortstop Casey Harford and a solo shot by Conner Denning to make it 8-0 Mustangs.

To the 6th, the Mustangs picked up 4 more runs with center-fielder Mikey Edie leading off the frame with a double, Luis Navarro singled and an error allowed Edie to score. Right-fielder Gabe Wurtz, who had his first three-hit night of the season, hit an R BI to score Navarro from 2nd, and then Moralez hit a home run to make it 12-3 Mustangs.

The Bullpen struggled for the Mustangs after starter Karan Patel pitched 5 innings, giving up 3 earned runs on 5 hits, while striking out a team season high 9 batters and walking only 3. His performance set him up for the win if the Mustangs held on.

Left-handed reliever Omar Sanchez gave up 5 runs, but two errors in the bottom of the 7th by Mustangs infielders extended the inning for the Paddleheads. Sanchez finished with only two earned runs with two strikeouts and a walk over two innings. By the time he left, the game had crept closer to 12-8.

In the 8th, Mustang Keagan McGinnis lasted only two-thirds of an inning, giving up 3 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. By the time left-handed reliever Cam Tullar entered the game, former Mustang Jackson Raper had the tying run in scoring position and came through with a knock against Tullar to tie it up at 12 in the bottom of the 8th. Tullar then struck out the subsequent batter Ben Fitzgerald to keep it all knotted up. Despite a leadoff walk by Denning in the top of the 9th, the Mustangs couldn't field any runs in the final chance. A 6-4-3 double play by catcher Luis Navarro ended the threat.

Tullar worked the final inning, and gave up a lead-off single. Glacier second-baseman Ryan Cash tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, which worked, but Tullar picked it up and underhanded it to first-baseman Casey Harford, to which the ball slipped out of Harford's glove. Left-fielder Ben McConnell laid down a successful sac-bunt to move catcher Matt Clayton and Cash over. With 1 out, the Mustangs intentionally walked Gabe Howell to set up the double play.

To the next batter, the right-fielder Crews Taylor broke his bat on a ground ball to 2nd baseman Mitch Moralez, who attempted to throw the runner Clayton out at home, Moralez fired the ball off the line to seal the 13-12 come-from-behind victory for the Range Riders.

The Mustangs attempt to even up the three-game series against the Range Riders at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday, May 31st. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:45, and you can listen to all the action on ESPN 910, 105.5 FM or espn910.com. You can also watch every play on FloSports.