6-1 and Rolling: Glacier Range Riders Logan Beard & Kyle Ashworth on Their Hot Start

The Glacier Range Riders are off to a blazing 6-1 start! After a thrilling 9-8 home opener victory over the Great Falls Voyagers at Glacier Bank Park, Daily Inter Lake reporter Luke Schmidt caught up with two of the night's standout performers.

Luke talks to second baseman Logan Beard, who breaks down his clutch 3-run home run, his pick-off connection with catcher Donnie Hatfield, and what's fueling the team's hot start - then catches up with outfielder Kyle Ashworth on his RBI triple, why this year's clubhouse culture feels different from last season, and the championship mindset he's brought back to Kalispell. Both players also sound off on the electric Glacier Bank Park crowd, and why the Flathead Valley has the best fans in the league.

The Range Riders are locked in, unified, and playing for this city. If this home opener is any indication, Flathead Valley baseball fans are in for one serious season!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome back everyone to the Keeping Score Podcast. I'm your host, Luke Schmidt, and we are presented by Corwin Motors. Tonight I attended the Glacier Range Riders home opener against the Great Falls Voyagers where they won 9-8. I was able to catch up with second baseman Logan Beard and outfielder Kyle Ashworth after their dominant performances at the plate. Let's not waste any time and get right to it. Let's get one more round of the box to be opening daylight. I'm here with Logan Beard after their win over the Voyagers, 9-8. Logan, this team is special to start the season. You guys are 6-1. Talk to me how the clubhouse has felt and especially the game you played today. You've been doing real well.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Yeah, you know, the clubhouse has a great vibe. I mean, the the boys are just hot right now. Everybody has everybody feels great, great vibes, you know. We'll just come out here having fun and it's it's a great time.

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Talk to me about you and Ratfield's connection today. You guys were able to pick off some runners, you know. Tell me how that was successful for you. You even had one of them where you kind of tricked him as well. He thought the ball didn't get passed.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Yeah, you know, Donnie's great back there, man. If he's able to put the ball close to the bag, I mean he gives us a shot every time. Um I mean, you know, pitchers give us pitchers give us a shot every single time, and with Donnie's arm, you know, make he makes my job easy.

SPEAKER_02 1:08

Logan, what was your mindset going up there? You hit that three-run home run. Tell me, you know, what what you were feeling before and afterwards.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

Yeah, you know, I was just going up there looking for a good pitch. Um, I think I got a shout out Ash in front of me there with that that huge three RBI double. I think I think that was the swing of the game right there, really.

SPEAKER_02 1:23

Talk to me about this crowd tonight. You guys get your first game here at the Glacier Bank Park. How electric was it? And was it fun to play back in front of these fans again?

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Oh, it's awesome to come back home, play in front of everybody. You know, they everybody showed out and it was a blast to play in front of them, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:35

Last question I ask you, Logan, what excites you the most about this team for this season now that you guys have such a great start?

SPEAKER_00 1:40

I mean, I think top to bottom, the offense and the pitching staff, you know. I mean, it's a great combo to have, I think. And uh I think it's just it's exciting, man. I mean, we're putting things together right now and just want to keep it rolling.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

I mean it's kind of messed with their nine to eight victory over the Voyagers. Kind of like you had a great RBI triple, you were feeling it, a couple other players were as well.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Talk to me how this group is meshing together right now. Yeah, I mean, all the guys like in the locker room, a lot different than last year. We're a lot more dedicated, a lot more fired up to work hard to give this crowd what they want, you know? And I'm I came back this year wanting a championship, and we're on the right path so far, hoping we can stick with it, and that's kind of that's kind of it. We're just we're meshing together.

SPEAKER_02 2:29

Talk to me about the crowd's impact tonight. It was very loud to start, ended the game loud as well.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

How fun was it playing in front of these fans? Man, my my heart gets pounding every time I get I get in front of these crowds, and and like this is the best crowd in the league, and I'm so grateful to be here, and there's nothing, there's no other place I'd rather be than this place.

SPEAKER_02 2:45

Besides the seller play of your guys hitting, you guys been able to get on base, do what you really want. Talk to me what else this team has been successful at, even if it's the leadership side or even in the clubhouse.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

Yeah, I mean we have we don't have clicks, like we're all together, we're all we have one goal, and that's to win ball games, and that's that's kind of the main thing. We're just trying to win for this, for this, for this city, for this flathead valley. Let's go.