Wofford Goes Wild as the Range Riders Sweep the Mustangs

Flathead Valley, MT. – The Glacier Range Riders picked up two crucial wins this weekend over the Billings Mustangs, taking down their cross-state rivals by scores of 7-3 and 5-0 on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, respectively. Brody Wofford continued his record-shattering run by hitting two more home runs, meaning he has set a Pioneer League record by hitting eight home runs in his past eight games.

The Saturday night contest got off to a tremendous start for the Range Riders thanks to a solid six innings of one-run baseball put in by right-handed hurler Tanner Solomon. He allowed just two hits in his time on the bump, while the only home run against him came on a solo home run in the top of the second. Glacier would tie the game in the bottom of the third after Ben McConnell came home on an errant pick-off attempt by the Billings pitcher. McConnell really found the breakthrough one inning later when he slapped an oppo-taco blast into left field to deliver a 4-1 lead to the hosts.

Wofford then stepped up with one out and nobody on it the bottom of the fifth. He blistered a ball 107 MPH off the bat to easily surpass the right-center wall and land 420 feet away from home plate. That was his seventh home run in as many games. The scoring was rounded out with a sac fly by Ryan Cash and run-scoring balk to make it seven. The Range Ranger faithful started to sweat a little in the ninth, when Justin Coleman allowed the bases to be loaded with no outs, but a 4-6-3 double play and a groundout closed the book on a four-run victory.

Saturday Final: Glacier 7, Billings 3

Sunday was the story of  "bend-don't-break" for starting pitcher Noah Barros who ended up with a spectacular final line despite allowing a few testy moments for the home fans. Barros had seven innings of shutout baseball and although he allowed six hits, his clutch nine strikeouts continued to strand runners on base as the Mustangs couldn't cash in all night. Nathan Thomas tossed a blank in the eighth to keep the shutout alive, while Austin Steinfort matched Barros with some clutch pitching to get away clean from a bases loaded jam in the ninth.

The scoring breakthrough for the Riders finally came through in the bottom of the sixth when two runners got on base for who else, but Brody Wofford. Wofford once again tagged a ball to go yard over the 16-foot wall in right field and give Glacier a lead they would not surrender. Bonus scores came later that inning with a sacrifice fly from Brandt Broussard, and in the seventh with a double from Sam Linscott.

Sunday Final: Glacier 5, Billings 0

With that home run on Sunday, Wofford continued an improbable stretch of eight home runs in his past eight games played. In the history of the PBL, which dates back to 1939, no other player in the league's history has had a run like that of Wofford. Not only should the home runs turn heads but Wofford's stat line across the board is remarkable. He is batting .455 in his past 33 at-bats, with 10 runs scored and a staggering 18 RBIs. His slugging percentage in this stretch sits at 1.182 and his OPS is up to 1.668.

Wofford wasn't the only thing fans had to enjoy this weekend at Flathead, as some of the younger fans surely had fun the much-anticipated opening of the Kids Zone which has a playground area intended for kids 10 and under, as well as the speed pitch tunnel for fans of all ages to see if they can throw as hard as Isaiah Henry (spoiler alert: you probably can't). The Range Riders also welcomed our first food truck in the form of 406 BBQ and continued serving ice cream out of the third base concession stand. Finally, we were proud to welcome the Montana Army National Guard to the stadium who displayed some equipment and had fans participate in planking and pull up competitions (even Huck and Cliff got involved).

This week the Range Riders welcome the Great Falls Voyagers for a crucial six-game series at Flathead Field. Ticket prices start at just $10 and can be bought at https://ridgerunbaseball.ticketsocket.com/#/event-list or in-person at the box office which opens an hour and a half before first pitch.