Lakers A play host to Legion tourney

The Daily Inter Lake

It's tournament time again in the Flathead Valley.

The 2007 John R. Harp Class A American Legion baseball tournament begins today in Kalispell, continuing through Sunday.

The eight-team event features two days of pool play, culminating with Sunday's championship round.

Pool A consists of the Great Falls Stallions, Kootenai Valley Rangers, Lethbridge Giants, and host Kalispell Lakers (19-17-1), who take a break from Western A play, where they've accumulated a 10-1 record.

Pool B is comprised of the Glacier Twins, Great Falls Black Sox, Havre Comets and mighty Mission Valley Mariners.

Each team battles its three pool opponents between today and Saturday before playing one game apiece Sunday, based on pool play order of finish.

Kootenai Valley begins today's action at 10 a.m. against the Great Falls Stallions, followed by Havre versus the Great Falls Black Sox as 12:30 p.m.

The Rangers play one of two 3 p.m. contests when they square off against Lethbridge. Mission Valley plays the other mid-afternoon tilt against Glacier, which beat the Mariners two weeks ago at the Ed Gallo tournament in Whitefish.

Mission Valley takes the field again at 5:30 p.m. against the Black Sox, followed by Kalispell versus Lethbridge in the nightcap at 8.

Today's games are all at Griffin Field, except for the Mission Valley-Glacier contest, which is at Archie Roe Field.

Games are seven innings, and played with two hour, 15 minute time limits. Contests tied at the end of their time limits will continue with speed-up rules, including at-bats beginning with 1-1 counts.