Chukars stumble in Billings

Chukars stumble in Billings

The Idaho Falls Chukars fell 13-3 on the road against the Billings Mustangs on Wednesday.

Billings opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning thanks to an RBI fielder’s choice. Idaho Falls tied the game 1-1in the top of the third inning thanks to a Tyler Wyatt triple that scored Ryan McCarthy. The Mustangs emphatically recaptured the lead in the bottom of the second when they plated 11 runs and added on another run in the fifth inning. The Chukars’ offense scratched out a pair of runs in the later innings. Chase Hanson smacked a triple to the outfield to score Roberto Gonzalez in the eighth inning and Gonzalez hit a sacrifice fly to score Brandon Bohning in the ninth inning.

The pitching performance of Connor Harrison was one positive that came out of Wednesday for the Chukars. Harrison threw four innings of relief while surrendering one run and allowing five hits. With his performance, Harrison has brought his season EAR down to 8.05.

McCarthy was an offensive bright spot for Idaho Falls. He finished the night 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles. Wednesday’s performance increased McCarthy’s batting average to .278 and improved upon his impressive .443 on base percentage.

Hanson also put together a strong night at the plate for the Chukars. On top of his RBI triple, he also slashed a pair of singles, raising his batting average to .297.

The Chukars and Mustangs will duel again in Billings on Thursday evening. The first pitch of that game will be at 6:35 p.m. and can be heard live on KSPZ The Sports Zone or streamed via FloSports.