Mustangs Fall to Range Riders 7-3 to Open Road Trip

KALISPELL-The Billings Mustangs jumped out to an early lead, but struggled to find offense the rest of the way as they fell to the Glacier Range Riders 7-3 on Saturday night at Flathead Field in Kalispell.

Billings (8-9, 33-30) started off an 11-game road trip with a defeat at the hands of Glacier (6-11, 23-41), which held Billings to just three hits in the game, tying a season low for the Mustangs.

After both pitchers faced the minimum in the first inning, the Mustangs jumped ahead in the second inning. Leading off the inning, Gabe Wurtz jumped on a 1-0 fastball and blasted it over the wall in deep left-center, putting the Mustangs up 1-0 on his 16^th home run of the season.

In the second and third, Mustangs starter Kelvan Pilot fought his command. He walked consecutive batters in the second, but stranded both with a groundout. He was not as lucky in the third, though. Following two one-out walks, a fly ball moved Ben McConnell to third. Pilot then fired an errant pickoff toss to first, scoring McConnell to even the score at one apiece.

On the other side, Solomon settled in and began mowing down the Mustangs. The right-hander relied on a steady diet of off-speed pitches to keep the Mustangs off-balance as he mowed down nine straight Billings hitters immediately following the Wurtz home run.

In the fourth, all the walks finally came back to haunt the Mustangs after two leadoff walks, a strikeout and groundout left Pilot one strike away from a scoreless inning. However, McConnell connected on a full-count offering and launched it just over the glove of a leaping Wurtz at the wall, clearing the fence for a three-run homer that put Glacier ahead 4-1.

In the middle innings, Glacier added on. Brody Wofford connected on a first pitch fastball with one out in the fifth for a solo homer. In the sixth, Glacier tacked on two more thanks to a sacrifice fly and a balk, extending the lead to 7-1.

The Mustangs got a run back in the seventh as a walk, hit batter and wild pitch two runners in scoring position with one out. As a pinch hitter, Jacob Kline ripped a line drive to deep center that was ran down by McConnell, though it did bring in a run, trimming the deficit to five runs.

In the ninth, the Mustangs loaded the bases with nobody out. However, a double play, while it brought in a run, threw a wet blanket over the rally and the game ended one batter later, a 7-3 Mustangs loss.

The series against Glacier will conclude on Sunday afternoon in Kalispell. The Billings starter is still to be determined while Glacier counters with RHP Noah Barros (6-6, 6.14). Pregame on the home of the Mustangs, ESPN 910/105.5 FM with Brennan Mense will begin at 12:45 ahead of a 1:05 p.m. first pitch.