Chukars Corner

Chukars starting pitcher John Lamb turned in a season-high 10 strikeouts for an Idaho Falls pitcher as the Chukars closed out a 6-1 homestand with a 5-3 win over Great Falls.

Lamb was dominant from the start as he struck out six and was perfect through the first three innings. He earned the win by pitching seven shutout innings while walking one and giving up three hits to go along with his 10 Ks.

Idaho Falls scored first with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Joey Lewis brought home the first run thanks a routine fly ball to right turned into a double when Great Falls’ Ryan Hamme lost the ball in the sun. The next batter, Julio Aparicio, then hit the first of his two run-scoring sacrifice flies to make it 2-0.

The Chukars added to their lead in the seventh when first baseman Tito Espinosa lined a two-run triple down the right-field line. Aparicio made it 5-0 with his second sacrifice fly.

The Chukars were on their way to their first shutout of the year before right-handed reliever Richard Folmer surrendered three runs in the top of the ninth. Two runs came off Johnny Celis’ two-out double.

Third baseman Ryan Stovall was the big hitter for the Chukars, going 3-for-4 with a single, a double and a triple.

That chased Folmer and Patrick Keating, the team’s most effective reliever and the team’s leader in strikeouts, recorded the final out on one pitch.

The excitement of Sunday’s game came in the top of the seventh when Great Falls’ manager Jose Bautista, the Chukars’ pitching coach from 2004 to 2006, was ejected.

Jose Vargas grounded into a fielder’s choice to shorstop Deivy Batista, who flipped to Angel Franco at second for the force on Kyle Colligan. The throw pulled Franco way off the base, but Colligan was called out anyway.

Both Bautista and Colligan were ejected for arguing the call.

The Chukars (8-5 in the second half, 28-21 overall) hit the road for a three-game series in Billings on Monday. They return home Aug. 25 with a three-game series against Ogden.