Mission Valley lives on at state tourney

Mariners play Richland County today at 4:30 p.m.

LIBBY - The Mariners are alive and kicking at Lee Gehring Memorial Field.

After a disheartening loss to Vauxhall, Alberta, Thursday night in the second round, Mission Valley walloped Great Falls on Friday in loser-out action at the American Legion Baseball Class A State Tournament, 10-0.

"(Thursday) was a tough day, so we just wanted to come out and prove that we are still one of the best teams in the state," Mission Valley pitcher Tim Rausch said.

The Mariners will play Richland County, which won the undefeated game Friday evening, today at 4:30 p.m. A victory there would put them in the consolation game for a chance to play for the state championship Sunday.

The Sidney-based Richland County Patriots beat Vauxhall in the undefeated game, 8-4. With that victory, the Patriots automatically advance to the championship game, no matter what the outcome of today's game is against the Mariners.

In the other loser-out game, Three Forks-based Gallatin Valley beat Dillon, 5-2.

Vauxhall will play Gallatin Valley today at 1 p.m. If the Patriots beat Mission Valley, the winner of the 1 p.m. game will advance to the championship game. If the Mariners win, they will force a consolation game against the winner of the 1 p.m. game.

Undefeated game

Richland County 8, Vauxhall 4

The team with ungodly stats is beatable.

Richland County pitchers Kraig Balcer and Chad Williams combined for 10 strikeouts while allowing eight hits and six walks. Williams relieved Balcer in the seventh inning with one out and the bases loaded and got out of the jam. He finished with 2 2/3 innings pitched and struck out five while allowing just one hit and one walk. The two also combined to beat Great Falls in the opening round. Williams left Thursday's game in the fifth inning after taking a line drive off the heel of his glove.

The Patriots scored two in the second and three in the fifth to take command and never looked back.

Joel Kessler and Josh Nollmeyer hit back-to-back doubles to start the scoring in the second inning. Trent Thomas highlighted the fifth inning with a two-out, two-run single.

Trailing 7-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Spurs cut their deficit by plating three runs.

No. 2 hitter Kelsey Brown went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs to lead the Patriots. Kessler and Chris Lee each had two hits in the victory.

Despite committing six errors, Richland out-hit the Spurs, 13-8. All but one Patriot got at least one hit.

Vauxhall was paced on offense by No. 2 hitter Ty Sparrow with two hits and an RBI.

It was just the fifth loss of the season for Vauxhall (33-5). The Patriots are 40-18 and earned an automatic berth into the championship game.

Richland 020 030 210 - 8 13 6

Vauxhall 000 010 300 - 4 8 2

Kraig Balcer, Chad Williams (7) and Joel Kessler. Brock Leavin, Jaden Odland (7) and Zach Rhodes. W - Balcer. L - Leavin.

RICHLAND COUNTY (40-18) - Balcer 2-4, Kelsey Brown 3-5, Williams 1-5, Trent Thomas 1-4, Joel Kessler 2-5, Josh Nollmeyer 1-5, Chris Lee 2-4, Brett Zadow 0-4, Jordan Nesper 1-4.

VAUXHALL (33-5) - Ryan Hutchinson 1-3, Ty Sparrow 2-5, Zach Roberts 0-4, Jaden Odland 1-5, Brendan Miller 1-4, Mike Brown 1-4, Mitch Schaafsma 1-5, Clay Turcato 1-3, Tyler Odland 0-5.

RBIs - RC 7 (Brown 3, Thomas 2, Nollmeyer, Zadow), Vau. 3 (Sparrow, Schaafsma, Hutchinson). 2B - RC 4 (Nollmeyer, Kessler, Balcer, Brown), Vau. 1 (Miller). SB - RC 1 (Lee), Vau. 0. SAC - RC 1 (Zadow), Vau. 0.

LOSER-OUT GAMES

Mission Valley 10, Great Falls 0

The Mariners' superstar of their first state tournament victory on Wednesday was John Rausch. Their second tournament victory's star was Rausch's younger brother, Tim.

Tim Rausch struck out 12 Stallions in pitching a three-hit, complete-game shutout. He was also just a triple away from hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-4 from the No. 3 spot in the batting order with two RBIs, three runs scored and his second home run of the tournament.

"I felt great in all aspects of the game," Tim said.

The dinger was his ninth of the season, two more than his older brother - who had a two-dinger game in the tourney's opening round.

"Yeah, yeah - he got all the upper-body strength," said John, his catcher, while thumping him on the chest.

The Mariners were beating the 15- and 16-year-old Stallions just 3-0 going into the seventh inning. But the M's scored five runs in the frame to take control.

John Rausch and Eric Locke highlighted the seventh with RBI doubles.

The Stallions committed seven errors.

The first batter of the game, Mission's Kyle Brown, walked and came around to score on an error. That was all the M's needed with Tim Rausch on the mound.

"He had some great sliders," John said. "The change-up was working, he kept it low. The curve ball wasn't so bad. He just kept spotting his fastball well with all those. But my favorite pitch of his was his slider. It was breaking more than his curve ball."

"I like throwing anything," Tim said. "Anything felt great today - even with the bat in my hand.

"I hadn't pitched in more than two weeks so I was rearing to go," Tim said. "We had other guys throwing great during the district tournament and had some young guys step up."

Although he walked seven batters, Tim improved to 7-1 with his seventh complete-game and second shutout.

"You've got to credit the defense on that," John said. "Those two double plays were big."

Tim was the only Mariner with more than one hit as they out-hit the Stallions, 9-3. Nos. 4 and 5 hitters Brandon Thompson and Will Gordon each matched Tim Rausch with two RBIs. Cubbie Pierre reached base all five times he appeared at the plate and stole three bases.

With four RBIs in the tourney, Thompson now has 74 on the season. He is batting .500 (6-for-12) in the tournament.

The Stallions ended their season with a 33-24 record. No. 8 hitter Brady Kangas paced them with two hits.

Mission 100 110 502 - 10 9 0

Great Falls 000 000 000 - 0 3 7

Tim Rausch and John Rausch. Jake Bleskin, Dustin Schultz (7) and Alex Waltari. W - T. Rausch (7-1). L - Bleskin.

MISSION VALLEY (57-8) - Kyle Brown 0-2, Eric Locke 1-4, T. Rausch 3-4, Brandon Thompson 1-3, Will Gordon 1-5, Tyler Linse 1-5, Beau Nordberg 0-5, Cubbie Pierre 1-3, J. Rausch 1-5.

GREAT FALLS (33-24) - Spencer Thomson 0-4, Aaren Remus 0-4, Waltari 1-1, AJ Griffith 0-1, Jake Mansch 0-3, Austin Lartsch 0-1, Schultz 0-2, Aaren Stucker 0-3, Tyler Sharp 0-1, Bleskin 1-2, Trevor Wilke 0-0, Brady Kangas 2-3, Skyler Smith 0-4.

RBIs - MV 8 (Thompson 2, T. Rausch 2, Gordon 2, J. Rausch, Locke), GF 0. HR - MV 1 (T. Rausch), GF 0. 2B - MV 2 (J. Rausch, Locke), GF 0. SB - MV 3 (Pierre 3), GF 1 (Thomson). SAC - MV 2 (Brown, Thompson), GF 0.

Gallatin Valley 5, Dillon 2

GVO pitcher Brandon Oakes struck out 11 while spreading eight hits and four walks over the complete-game victory.

The Outlaws scored a run apiece in the second through sixth innings and then another in the eighth.

No. 3 hitter Patrick Sinnema went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Outlaws.

Trailing 1-0 in the third inning, after Dillon's Drake Waltner knocked in a run in the second, GVO catcher and cleanup hitter Matt Enriquez hit an RBI single to tie the game. Matt Workman doubled in the fourth and scored the unearned go-ahead run.

Joel Rogers of Lima pitched the complete-game in the loss. He allowed eight hits, but walked five and hit another four batters. He finished with six strikeouts and led the Cubs on offense from the leadoff spot, going 2-for-5 with a double and run scored.

The teams equaled each other with eight hits, but Dillon committed three errors in the battle between Southern A rivals.

The conference champion Cubs finished the season with a 56-9 record. Second-seeded GVO improved to 41-19.

Gallatin 001 111 010 - 5 8 0

Dillon 010 000 010 - 2 8 3

Brandon Oakes and Matt Enriquez. Joel Rogers and Alan Howard. W - Oakes. L - Rogers.

GALLATIN VALLEY (41-19) - Geary Crawford 1-4, Isaiah Jensen 1-4, Patrick Sinnema 2-3, Enriquez 1-3, Carson Anderson 0-4, Derek Allen 1-4, Shane Koski 1-4, Matthew Workman 2-5, Oakes 0-4.

DILLON (56-9) - Rogers 2-5, Chance Plutt 1-3, Zach McRae 1-4, Jackson Berkram 0-2, Tim Goins 2-4, Drake Waltner 1-3, Howard 1-4, Jake Schmit 0-3, Kirt Taylor 1-4.

RBIs - GV 4 (Sinnema 2, Koski, Enriquez), Dil. 2 (Waltner, Goins). 2B - GV 2 (Workman, Crawford), Dil. 2 (Goins, Rogers). SB - GV 1 (Allen), Dil. 1 (Waltner). SAC - GV 3 (Sinnema, Koski, Jensen), Dil. 1 (Plutt).