Riggleman Earns 1,500th Pro Win in 6-3 Victory over Rocky Mountain

COLORADO SPRINGS-Mason Dinesen drove in four runs and Jean Correa followed up his quality start with a quality start to lead the Billings Mustangs to a 6-3 win over the Rocky Mountain Vibes on Saturday night at UC Health Park in Colorado Springs.

Billings (18-14) bounced back from a one-run loss on Friday to earn their third win in the first four games of the series against Rocky Mountain (9-23). The win also was the 1500^th professional win in the career of Mustangs skipper Jim Riggleman.

After a delay of 1 hour, 47 minutes, things finally got going and Rocky Mountain struck in the first against Correa. The Vibes loaded the bases twice and a fielder's choice brought in a run, but Correa kept the damage to just a single run by inducing an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

Two innings later, Rocky Mountain added another run. With a runner at first and two down, Ethan Lopez stroked a ball to right-center than scooted past Crews Taylor to the wall for an RBI triple, putting Rocky Mountain up 2-0.

The score stayed that way until the fifth inning when the Mustang offense began to come around. Back-to-back singles put runners on the corners with no outs. After a foul out, Dinesen brought in a run with a fielder's choice to cut the deficit in half.

In the sixth, the Mustangs pulled ahead with a two-out rally. After Rocky Mountain starter Brock Knoten retired the first two hitters, Gabe Wurtz drew a walk then scored the tying run by racing home and evading the tag on a double to right-center from Brian Parreira. A walk then chased Knoten.

Against reliever Armando Valle, another walk loaded the bases for Dinesen. On a 1-2 pitch, he ripped a line drive to the wall in right-field wall that cleared the bases. His triple gave him four RBI on the night and put the Mustangs up 5-2.

On the mound, Correa bounced back after three shaky innings to start the game, finishing off his night with three scoreless innings without allowing a hit to finish off a 6.0-inning, two-run outing.

In the seventh, Jalen Garcia provided Correa one last parting gift with one out in the seventh, launching a solo homer over the wall in right-center field, pushing the lead to 6-2, Mustangs.

However, Rocky Mountain wasn't willing to go quietly. In the eighth, the Vibes mounted a rally against Foster Pace. Pace was ahead of the first two hitters, but allowed a single and double to put two in scoring position with no outs. A slow roller to third off the bat of Domonique Hernandez turned into an infield single to bring in a run, but with two men aboard, Pace buckled down and sandwiched a foul out around two strikeouts to end the inning with the score still 6-3, Billings.

Al Pesto came in and fired a 1-2-3 ninth to finish off the Vibes, locking down the milestone win for Riggleman and the Mustangs.

Game five will take place on Sunday evening in Colorado Springs. The Mustangs will throw LHP Elijah Gill (1-0, 2.76) while Rocky Mountain counters with RHP Greyson Fletcher (0-0, 4.50). Pregame on Sunday afternoon on the home of the Mustangs, ESPN 910/105.5 FM with Brennan Mense will begin at 4:45 ahead of a 5:05 p.m. first pitch.