IDAHO GOES DOWN With one week left in the first half, the Idaho Falls Chukars will probably need to win every game left in order to qualify for the playoffs.
With consecutive victories over the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers (27-14), one of three teams ahead of the Chukars (26-14) in a battle for two postseason positions, they have gotten off to a great start in that quest.
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After their game against the Ogden Raptors on Thursday night was rained out, the Chukars welcomed Yuba-Sutter to town on Friday afternoon. Idaho Falls has nine games remaining until the first half ended when play started on Friday.
The Chukars won 7-2 on July 4th thanks to offensive pyrotechnics from Garret Ostrander, who hit his fourth homer of the season, and a strong start from recently signed pitcher Shane Spencer.
In his Chukars debut, Spencer (W, 1-0) pitched seven innings, striking out seven and limiting the High Wheelers to five hits and two runs.
In addition to Ostrander’s outburst, Spencer Rich and Gabriel Vasquez both scored two runs.
Rich made a significant contribution to Saturday’s comeback triumph of 12–9.
Despite giving up two home runs, Nathan Hemmerling (ND, 4-0) grabbed the nod and kept his team in the game for 5-1/3 innings, limiting Yuba-Sutter to five runs.
The playoff-minded home team’s remaining innings were pitched by Dante Zamudio, Ricky Tibbett (W, 1-0), and Nicolo Pinazzi (Sv, 1), who gave up a total of four runs, three of which were earned (one apiece).
With a 3-1 deficit after two innings and a 5-3 deficit going into the bottom of the sixth, Tyler Wyatt and Rich gave Idaho Falls an offensive boost.
In the seventh, Wyatt hit a two-run homer (6) to give the Chukars the lead for good. Rich launched a two-run homer in the sixth inning (13), and he recorded game-highs in hits (3) and RBIs (4).
Benjamin Rosengard got a triple in the fourth inning to extend his hit streak to 15 games.
The Oakland Ballers, who are presently riding a 10-game winning streak, including a 20-0 victory over the Rocky Mountain Vibes on Saturday, are the only team in the Pioneer Baseball League standings. After losing to the Glacier Range Riders on Friday, the Missoula PaddleHeads rebounded on Saturday to maintain a strong hold on the second of two first-half playoff positions.
The Chukars trail the PaddleHeads by 3.5 games with seven games left in the first half.
On Sunday, Yuba-Sutter and Idaho Falls will wrap off their three-game series. The first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.
Present PBL rankings1. The 31-10 Oakland Ballers2. PaddleHeads in Missoula (30-11)3. High Wheelers Yuba-Sutter (27-14)4. Chukars of Idaho Falls (26-14)5. Hawks of Boise (24–17)6. The 23–17 Ogden Raptors7. Feelings of the Rocky Mountains (21–19)8. Jackalopes of Grand Junction (17–23)9. Mustangs from Billings (15–26)10. Riders of the Glacier Range (14–27)11. Voyagers of the Great Falls (8-33)12. Sky Sox of Colorado Springs (7-32)
