Casserilla powers Glacier's win over Missoula

MISSOULA — The Missoula PaddleHeads plated the tying run in the ninth inning, sending Sunday’s series finale into the knockout round where Xavier Casserilla beat Adam Fogel 3-2 for a Glacier Range Riders 4-3 win in Pioneer League baseball. 

The Range Riders won the series 2-1 over the PaddleHeads, their first ever series win in Missoula.  

Missoula beat Glacier 5-4 in Saturday’s game to avoid the sweep after the Range Riders took Friday’s game, 9-6. 

Glacier 4, Missoula 3  

With Glacier clinging to a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning, Alec Sanchez walked and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Colby Wilkerson singled home Sanchez, Mike Rosario followed with a base hit before Rayne Supple retired the next two batters to send the game into the knockout round. 

It was the Range Riders’ (14-26) first regular season series win in Missoula (30-11) after sweeping the PaddleHeads in the best of three series in last year’s first round of the playoffs. 

Fogel singled home a run in the first inning for the PaddleHeads before the Range Riders answered back in the top half of the second inning on John Mabry’s RBI double. 

Mabry scored on Thomas Green’s fielder’s choice in the fifth inning to give the Range Riders their first lead of the game before Missoula responded in the sixth inning on Kamrin Willman’s RBI single. 

Jack Lynch homered in the seventh inning, his third of the season to retake the lead before the PaddleHeads rallied in the ninth. 

The Range Riders got a strong start from Luke Schafer, who allowed one earned run with five strikeouts across six innings. Brendan Beard started opposite Schafer and matched his six innings with two earned runs, fanning seven. 

Glacier     010    010    100    -    3    8    2 

Missoula    100    001    001    -    3    8    0 

Luke Schafer (6), Luke Cooper (7), Jason Franks (8), Rayne Supple (9), and Anotnio Barranca. Brandon Beard (6), Matthew Taubensee (7), Andrew Armstrong (9), and Nich Klemp.  

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Kyle Ashworth 1-4, Gabe Howell 0-4, TJ Clarkson 1-4, Xavier Casserilla 1-3, Kingston Liniak 0-4, Jack Lynch 1-4, John Mabry 2-4, Antonio Barranca 2-3, Thomas Green 0-4. 

MISSOULA PADDLEHEADS — Colby Wilkerson 2-5, Mike Rosario 2-5, Roberto Pena 0-5, Adam Fogel 2-4, Colin Gordon 1-4, Nich Klemp 0-2, Kamron Willman 1-4, Alec Sanchez 0-3, Carlos Perez 0-4. 

2B — Barranca, Clarkson, Mabry. Rosario. HR — Lynch (3). RBIs — Green, Lynch, Mabry. Fogel, Wilkerson, Willman. 

Saturday 

Missoula 5, Glacier 4 

The Range Riders plated two runs in the seventh, a run in the eighth and had the tying run in scoring position in the ninth inning before their rally fell short in their only loss of the three-game series.  

Logan Beard started the scoring by hitting a sacrifice fly to score Kyle Ashworth in the third inning. PaddleHeads tied the game in their half of the inning on Roberto Pena’s RBI single and plated another run on an error by the catcher to take a 2-1 lead.  

Wilkerson and Rosario singled home runs in the fourth inning to extend the lead 5-1 before the Range Riders battled back. 

Beard hit into a fielder’s choice in the seventh inning and Clarkson singled home Gabe Howell to cut the lead to 5-3. Angel Mendoza scored Liniak on an RBI single in the eighth inning and Clarkson hit a one-out double in the ninth inning to put the tying run in scoring position. 

After a Caserilla walk, Liniak hit into a force out at third and Efrain Manzo pinch hit for Kenneth Levari and struck out to end the game. 

After winning pitcher of the week, Range Riders’ Grant Taylor lasted just 3 1-3 innings, allowing eight hits, three walks and four earned runs, striking out four. The combination of Davis Pratt, Jacob Hasty and Cam Cowan shut down the PaddleHeads offense the rest of the way, allowing just one hit and no runs in the final 4 2-3 frames. 

Beard led Glacier with two RBIs. Clarkson and Liniak each had multi-hit games with Clarson driving in one. Mendoza went 1-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI. 

Glacier     001    000    210    -    4    9    2 

Missoula    002    300    00x    -    5    9    1

Grant Taylor (4), Davis Pratt (5), Jacob Hasty (7), Cam Cowan (8), and Angel Mendoza. 

Matthew Sox (6), Cale Mathison (7), Julien Hernandez (8), Zac Lampton (9), and Taylor Smith. 

GLACIER RANGE RIDERS — Howell 1-5, Beard 0-4, Clarkson 2-5, Casserilla 1-4, Liniak 2-5, Levari 1-3, Manzo 0-1, Joshua Rego 0-3, Mendoza 1-3, Ashworth 1-2.

MISSOULA PADDLEHEADS — Wilkerson 2-5, Rosario 2-5, Pena 1-3, Fogel 1-4, Gordon 0-2, Willman 1-3, Leyton Barry 1-4, Taylor Smith 1-2, Carlos Perez 1-3. 

2B — Clarkson. Wilkerson. RBIs — Beard 2, Clarkson, Mendoza. Pena, Rosario, Wilkerson.