Chukars take 2 in Billings from league-leading Mustangs

IDAHO FALLS — Less than a month ago, the Idaho Falls Chukars were the ugly stepchild of the Pioneer Baseball League.

They enter July having climbed from the cellar as the league’s hottest team.

The Chukars (12-25), coming off an 8-4 homestand, tested their newfound potency Tuesday in a doubleheader against a Billings Mustangs squad that entered the day with the best record in the PBL. Billings (27-9) ended the day in second place, with two new losses on its record.

Starter Seth Spencer (W, 2-2) led his team to victory in game one, holding the Mustangs to five hits and three runs across 5 innings. He gave way to Ryan Inouye, who went the final 2 innings unscored upon to finish the shortened seven-inning affair.

The offense was led by Justin Trimble and Garret Ostrander.

Trimble picked up three hits, including a homer. He drove in three runs and scored two more. Ostrander went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.

Idaho Falls needed a bit more offense in game two, with the Mustangs tagging runs to the records of four of the five Chukar pitchers to took the bump.

Of the five, only reliever Blayne Fritcher, making his third appearance with the Chuks, held the Mustangs off the board. Fritcher (W, 1-0) took over with one down in the second and got through the fourth inning, allowing two hits and striking out four in his scoreless outing.

While Fritcher was on the mound, the Chukars recovered from an early 4-0 deficit, scoring four in the third inning and four more in the top of the fifth. They added three more in the sixth for insurance they ended up needing.

Trimble added just one hit to his record in the second game, but drove in a pair of runs.

Casey Vaughan, Sam Canton and Tyler Wyatt each recorded multi-RBI games, with Vaughan knocking in three and scoring three more.

The Chukars are now 10-4 over their last 14 games, and 8-2 over their last 10. Though they do not have enough time to climb back into the first-half playoff race, this is precisely the type of turnaround they can use to build a second-half playoff run.

Their journey continues Wednesday night in Billings, where they will again battle the Mustangs with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

Current PBL standings
1. Long Beach Coast (29-8)
2. Billings Mustangs (27-9)
3. Glacier Range Riders (23-14)
4. Modesto Roadsters (22-15)
T5. Boise Hawks (21-16)
T5. Ogden Raptors (21-16)
7. Missoula PaddleHeads (16-20)
8. Oakland Ballers (16-21)
9. Great Falls Voyagers (14-23)
T10. Idaho Falls Chukars (12-25)
T10 Yuba-Sutter Freebirds (12-25)
12. RedPocket Mobiles (8-29)