Chukars Corner

The Chukars mounted a rally Monday night in Billings, but ultimately a six-run deficit was too much to overcome in a 12-5 loss to the league’s worst team.

Billings starter Blair Carson kept the Chukars quiet through the first six innings when he faced three over the minimum as Billings built a 6-0 lead.

In the top of the seventh, Salvador Perez doubled, Ben Theriot singled and Julio Aparicio doubled to lead off the inning, push one run across and chase Carson.

The rally continued as Theriot scored on a J.D. Alfaro fielder’s choice, Aparicio scored when Alex Llanos reached on an error and Alfaro scored on a Hilton Richardson sacrifice fly.

Theriot made it 6-5 in the top of the eighth with a line-drive single to center, but that’s when it all fell apart.

“We dug ourselves hole, climbed out of then jumped back in it,” Chukars manager Darryl Kennedy said.

Reliever Pernell Halliman started the bottom of the eighth inning in relief of Scott Kelley and promptly walked four batters and gave up six runs while only getting two outs. One run scored on one of Halliman’s two wild pitches and Halliman walked in another to ruin any chance of a comeback.

The outing ballooned Halliman’s ERA to 7.18.

“We couldn’t throw a strikes,” Kennedy said. “We’d get two strikes on them and we couldn’t put them away. It was just a bad night on the pitching side with all the walks.”

Llanos went 3-for-4 with a double to lead the Chukars at the plate while Perez went 2-for-4 with two doubles.

The Chukars (8-6 in the second half, 28-22 overall) fell 4.5 games behind Orem in the second-half race and 3.5 games behind Orem in the full season standings. To qualify for the playoffs, the Chukars will either have to win the second half or finish ahead of Orem in the full season standings.