Mustangs Mash Three Homers, Take Series Opener 5-2 vs. Glacier

BILLINGS-The Billings Mustangs rode three home runs and strong work from three pitchers to defeat the Glacier Range Riders 5-2 in the series opener on Tuesday night at Dehler Park.

Billings (6-7, 31-28) mashed three homers in a game for the tenth time this season in support of Kenny Serwa, who earned his first professional win. Glacier (4-9, 21-39) dropped their third straight game.

In the top of the first inning, Glacier took an early lead against Serwa. Ben McConnell led off with an infield single and stole second. A bloop single to right moved him to third before a double play ball pushed him across the plate, staking the Range Riders to a 1-0 lead.

In the second, the Mustangs struck back. With one out, Gabe Wurtz jumped on a 1-0 pitch from Glacier starter Noah Barros and blasted it off the batter's eye in center field for a solo home run, his 14^th of the season. The solo shot tied the game at one apiece.

Meanwhile, Serwa settled in for the Mustangs. He set down ten straight Range Riders from the first through fourth innings.

In the fourth, Billings pulled ahead. Leading off the inning, Jalen Garcia lined a 3-2 pitch over the right-field wall for a solo home run, his tenth of the season. The Mustangs weren't done though. With two outs, Jacob Kline singled, then Barros lost command, walking three straight batters. The third one was drawn by Mason Dinesen, driving in a run. Crews Taylor followed with an RBI single, bringing in one more to put Billings up 4-1.

Serwa finished the fifth inning without allowing a run. However, on the final out of the inning he took a line drive off his upper body. He recovered to retire the batter at first, but left the game after the inning with 5.0 innings of one-run ball in the books.

In the sixth, the Mustangs added one more. With two outs, Brian Parreira unloaded on an 0-1 pitch from reliever Drew Holweger and deposited it into the parking lot behind right field for a solo home run, pushing the Billings lead to 5-1 on the third Mustangs homer of the night.

Glacier tried to battle back against Mustang reliever McLain Harris. They scratched together a run in the seventh as a double, and a single with an error on the back end brought in an unearned run. However, Harris allowed nothing more over 3.0 innings of relief. Hunter DePrimo worked around a pair of two-out baserunners in the ninth to nail down his third save, securing a 5-2 win.

The Mustangs will have play game two of the four-game home stand against the Glacier Range Riders on Wednesday night at Dehler Park. Billings will start Patrick Maybach (0-2, 11.05) while Glacier counters with RHP Rob Hamby (2-1, 4.09). Pregame on the home of the Mustangs, ESPN 910/105.5 FM with Brennan Mense will begin at 6:15 Wednesday ahead of a 6:35 p.m. first pitch.