Chukars can’t back Harrison gem, drop series opened with Glacier

IDAHO FALLS — The Chukars got a stellar effort from starter Connor Harrison and continuously created scoring opportunities. But they never did cash in, losing to the Glacier Range Riders at Melaleuca Field Tuesday night.

For five innings, the only run scored came on a first-inning solo homer from Glacier second baseman Logan Beard.

Harrison (L, 6-5), who at one point retired eight straight hitters, held the Range Riders (22-39, 5-8) in check, waiting for his offense to get rolling. That wait never ended, as the lefty was finally lifted with one down in the sixth and the Chukars (36-24, 7-6) trailing 3-0.

The Idaho Falls bullpen kept up the fight, while the offense finally did find the scoreboard, but it was too little, too late as the home team lost, 5-3.

Manager Troy Percival said that he thought his team “played OK,” aside from its continued struggles with runners in scoring position.

“That’s where you go home and say, ‘the other team executed when they had to and we didn’t,'” he said. “They beat us. We didn’t necessarily lose the game, they just outplayed us today.”

Harrison allowed the Beard homer two batters into the game. Two hitters later, Xavier Casserilla tagged him for a two-out double. The Idaho Falls starter didn’t allow another base runner until Casserilla drew a one-out walk in the fourth.

Percival was happy with his starter’s performance, noting that Harrison also pitched well his last time out, earning a win after tossing 7 innings of one-run ball in Grand Junction, Colo. Thursday.

Harrison said that the entire Chukar pitching staff “has been grinding its a** off to keep putting up zeroes so our offense doesn’t have to rely on scoring seven-plus every game to win. As pitchers, we’re taking pride in putting up zeroes and minimizing damage.”

He went on to say that the staff is ready to shoulder the load as the offense works through its struggles.

“We have the best offense in the league, so we know they’re going to start swinging it eventually,” he said.

For more than a month, the Chukar offense has struggled with runners in scoring position. Due to its league-leading 126 team home runs — the Missoula PaddleHeads are second with 111 — Idaho Falls has kept up its scoring despite those struggles.

But with a swift wind blowing in all night, robbing his team of four long balls in Percival’s estimation, the Chukars were forced to rely on money at-bats for runs Tuesday.

Idaho Falls had opportunities all night, combining for 10 hits and five walks. The big hit evaded them, though, as the Chukars finished the night 1-for-15 (.067) with runners on second, third or both.

“You’ve got to get guys across the plate,” Percival said. “We’ve had the right guys at the plate, at the right time, and not gotten it done.”

The struggles have reached the point where they could become as much a mental struggle as anything else, so the skipper has elected not to beat that dead horse in meetings with his club.

“That makes it worse,” he said. “It’s just one of those things, teams go through it — it shouldn’t last this long, though.”

Twice, Jacob Jablonski and Simon Baumgardt started innings with back-to-back hits. Both times, they were left on the base paths to watch three straight Chukars go down.

Trevor Rogers, one of the Chukars to have a home run knocked down by the wind, doubled off the top of the wall with two down in the first. He went on to record a three-hit night.

Pinch-hitting for Gabe Vasquez with Jablonski and Baumgardt on and one out, Jacob Shanks hit what looked off the bat to be a go-ahead bomb. But it too was knocked down, and a potential extra-base hit was taken away by a diving Jake Millan in left field.

The only Chukar to cut through the win was Tyler Wyatt, who knocked a solo homer (13) out ahead of the seventh-inning rally.

Asked how his offense can get though this rough patch, Percival was quick to answer.

“It’s gonna take one big hit — like we were getting earlier in the year — and then the flood gates open. But right now, the guys are pressing,” he said. “Teams go through this. … We’ve got the players to do it, we’ve just got to find a way.”

Through much of the season, it had been the bullpen that struggled. On Tuesday, at his done more consistently of late, the relief corps was solid.

Luke Hempel took over for Harrison with two on and one out in the sixth, and slammed the door. Then Jean Reyes relieved Hempel in the seventh with two on and one out, and limited the damage to one. Newly acquired right-hander Ryan Faulks pitched the ninth and held Glacier to one unearned and “unfortunate run,” as Harrison called it.

“It was awesome, to be able to hand the ball to Hempel and have him get out of that jam in the sixth, then for him to be able to turn it over to Reyes and have him get out of a tough jam,” Harrison said.

The Chukars and Range Riders will be back at it Wednesday night at Melaleuca Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

PBL second-half standings
T1. Missoula PaddleHeads (9-4)
T1. Rocky Mountain Vibes (9-4)
T3. Oakland Ballers (8-5)
T3. Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers (8-5)
5. Idaho Falls Chukars (7-6)
6. Billings Mustangs (6-6)
T7. Colorado Springs Sky Sox (6-7)
T7. Ogden Raptors (6-7)
T9. Boise Hawks (5-8)
T9. Glacier Range Riders (5-8)
11. Great Falls Voyagers (4-8)
12. Grand Junction Jackalopes (4-9)