After Howell’s Immaculate Catch, Liniak Plays Hero in the KO Round

Kalispell, MT – The Glacier Range Riders escaped victorious on Tuesday night in a nail-biting series opener with the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers. After Glacier built a 3-0 lead midway through the contest, the High Wheelers fought back to tie it in the ninth and that was when Kingston Liniak came through in the clutch like he has so many times before – this time thanks to three straight longballs in the Knockout Round to outlast the two hit by Yuba's Gio Brusa.

After the High Wheeler start sent nine up and nine down to start the game, TJ Clarkson broke the scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the fourth when he lasered a shot over the left field wall for his 12^th homer of the season, now tied for the Range Rider lead.

That wasn't the only offense in the inning, however, as three walks loaded up the bases for Logan Bear who, with two outs, sprayed a single up the middle to make it three in the fourth for Glacier.

Yuba would answer right back with an RBI single in the fifth, but starter Jared Engman powered through a bases loaded – one out jam with a strike out then a ground out to end the frame with just one for the visitors. Engman was in line for the win after five innings, one earned run, three strikeouts, and only three hits allowed. The High Wheelers took advantage of two errors in the eighth to plate a second run, and a solo shot by Bobby Lada led off the ninth to equalize the game a spoil a Glacier save.

Nick Zegna, who now owns the career innings pitched record in Range Rider history, weathered through the leadoff homer to find himself in a situation with a runner on second and just two outs for the High Wheeler third baseman Connor Denning. Denning blasted a shot towards the gap in left center where only a leaping glove of Gabe Howell could stop it. With the ball over 10 feet in the air, Howell shot to the sky to snag the lineout before easily flipped to first and doubling off the runner for out number three.

After a scoreless bottom of the ninth, Yuba-Sutter and Glacier scheduled their fourth trip to the Knockout Round against each other this season. The first two were won by Cuba Bess of the High Wheelers, while Xavier Casserilla won the most recent for Glacier. Gio Brusa was the nominee for the visitors and Brusa was able to muscle two home runs over the right field wall before his five outs came. Kingston Liniak was the nominee for Glacier. With just one KO Round victory on the year, coming all the way back in Missoula in week two of the season, Liniak found the magic after his first out, with three straight longballs to ice the game in front of the Flathead Faithful. It was the fourth Knockout victory of the year for Glacier, but only the first at home.

This win marked the 99^th home victory in franchise history for the Glacier Range Riders, as the young squad will go for triple digits the rest of the week. Get your tickets now at tickets.gorangeriders.com.