Lakers cash in twice on Twins

WHITEFISH - Fourteen runs over two innings added up to two Kalispell Lakers American Legion Baseball victories Thursday over Flathead Valley rival Glacier.

The Lakers (5-7) scored eight runs in the top of the seventh inning to beat the Twins 11-0 in the first game, then broke out with six runs in the first inning of the second game. They went on to claim that one 10-0 in five innings.

"We needed those," Kalispell coach Mike McFarland said afterward.

"If we drop these, we're just buried," he said. "So we really needed that.

"This whole division is up for grabs."

The top team in the division - by McFarland's figures - is Lethbridge at 5-2.

But the Spitz Elks have a full schedule ahead. They'll play 16 games over the next 17 days.

"Our record doesn't reflect that, but I don't think we're sitting too bad," the coach said.

The first game was tight through the first six innings.

But the first two Laker batters walked in the top of the seventh and the wheels came off the Twins in a hurry.

Seven walks, one hit batsman and two singles later, Kalispell owned an insurmountable lead.

The Lakers picked up right where they left off in the second game.

Two hit batsman, a Glacier error and three hits - including a two-run homer by second baseman Matt Venturini - put Kalispell in the driver's seat.

"That six-run lead was the difference," McFarland said. "These guys are so aggressive on the basepaths, those six runs were great."

Venturini broke out of a batting slump by going 2-for-2 in the second game with the home run and a double.

Stefan Malkuch led the Lakers at the plate. He was 2-for-4 with a double in the first game and 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI in the second.

He also picked up the win in the second game. Craig Olson was the winner in the first game.

As for the Twins (4-4, 11-22), they're hoping to just forget and move on.

"People in Indonesia had a rougher time in the tsunami. People in the (World Trade Center) had a rougher time in the terrorist attacks. We need to put this in perspective," Glacier coach Jack Helber said.

"Forget about it. That's the only thing we can do about it," Helber said.

"Olson and Malkuch did their thing today and did a good job."

The schedule for the coming days - weather and other factors permitting - is for Glacier to play host for a doubleheader 3 p.m. Sunday to the Great Falls Stallions.

The Lakers travel today to the Spokane Tournament.

LAKERS 11, TWINS 0

Kalispell 100 200 8 - 11 7 1

Glacier 000 000 0 - 0 7 1

Craig Olson and Carl Christiansen. Chris Barnes, Doug Cuffe (7) Marty Richter (7), Josh Peterson (7) and Brad Bell. WP - Olson. LP - Barnes. 2B -Malkuch (K), Marcial (G).

Kalispell - Stefan Malkuch 2-4, Dan Conners 0-0, Geoff Hogan 2-3, Nick Hergesheimer 0-3, Michael Crail 0-3, Jake Fitzsimmons 2-5, Matt Venturini 0-5, Carl Christiansen 1-3, Sam Freudenberg 0-3.

RBI: Crail, Hogan 3, Conners 1, Fitzsimmons 2.

Glacier -Zac Wooten 0-3, Ben Schwanz 0-3, Jarred Krueger 1-3, Jesse Paulson 1-3, Billy Marcial 1-2, Brad Bell 0-3, Doug Cuffe 1-2, Calvin Williams 0-1, Josh Peterson 1-3, Chase Kolodejchuk 2-3.

LAKERS 10, TWINS 0

Glacier 000 00 - 0 2 2

Kalispell 603 1x - 10 6 1

Brad Bell, Chase Kolodejchuk (4) and Nik Caron. Stefan Malkuch and Carl Christiansen. WP - Malkuch. LP - Bell. HR - Malkuch (K), Venturini (K). 2B - Venturini (K), Paulson (G).

Glacier - Morgan Phelps 0-3, Marcial 0-2, Krueger 0-2, Paulson 1-2, Nik Caron 0-2, Ryan Stultz 1-2, Chris Barnes 0-2, Justin Cooper 0-2, Schwanz 0-1.

Kalispell - Malkuch 1-2, Conners 0-2, Hogan 1-2, Hergesheimer 0-2, Crail 1-2, Christiansen 0-1, Chris Hooley 0-2, Venturini 2-2, Freudenberg 1-2, Ryan Grubb 0-0, Tom Gregory 0-1, Jeremy Chambers 0-1.

RBI: Malkuch, Hogan, Hergesheimer, Crail, Hooley 2, Venturini 2, Freudenberg.