Twins split with Lethbridge

The Daily Inter Lake

WHITEFISH - Glacier's state tournament aspirations are still very much alive.

The Glacier Twins split a Western AA doubleheader with Lethbridge on Saturday at Memorial Park, keeping pace with the Elks as the teams jockey for fourth place and a trip to next month's Class AA state baseball tournament in Billings.

Lethbridge dominated the opener 17-4 before Glacier turned the tide with a 10-7 victory in the second game.

"We're good with that," said Twins coach Jarod Grubb of the split. "We took three out of four from them (this season). We won the series from them and you can't be disappointed with that."

Glacier's Western AA mark moved to 7-9. Lethbridge is 9-9.

Missoula leads the conference, followed by the Great Falls Stallions and Electrics. Four Western AA team will earn state berths after playing 24 conference games.

The Twins play another conference doubleheader today when they entertain Medicine Hat at 1 p.m.

Lethbridge 17, Glacier 4

The Elks smacked 17 hits, scoring at least two runs in every inning but the fifth.

Tyler Tamayose and Mark Clauson led Lethbridge's assault with three hits apiece. Teammate Matt Weninger, Braeden Horon, Adrian Piakon and Beau Barthel followed with two hits each.

Glacier's Scott Yogodzinski went 2-for-3 while Brad Bell, Rusty Hill and Zane Ridings had one hit apiece.

Lethbridge 242 302 4 - 17 17 1

Glacier 021 010 0 - 4 5 2

Chad Northcott, Brock Fulkerth (6) and Matt Weninger. Weston Chambers, Justin Collom (4), Roo Grubb (7) and Brad Bell. W - Northcott. L - Chambers.

LETHBRIDGE (9-8) - Northcott 1-4, Weninger 2-5, Tyler Tamayose 3-5, Spencer Farrell 1-3, Braeden Horon 2-5, Nathan Schaufert 0-1, Fulkerth 1-3, Adrian Piakon 2-5, Mark Clauson 3-4, Beau Barthel 2-5.

GLACIER (6-9) - Scott Palmer 0-4, Scott Yogodzinski 2-3, Bell 1-4, Collom 0-2, Rusty Hill 1-2, Zane Ridings 1-4, Josh Peterson 0-2, Chambers 0-1, Ryan Caron 0-2, Grubb 0-3.

2B - Leth. 4 (Tamayose 2, Northcott, Weninger), Gla. 0. SB - Leth. 1 (Northcott), Gla. 2 (Bell, Collom).

Glacier 10, Lethbridge 7

Ridings went the distance to earn the win, scattering nine hits while enjoying plenty of offensive and defensive support.

"He pitched really smart," Grubb said. "He always pitches smart."

Ridings' complete game was important for a Twins club playing four conference games in two days.

"That's big," Grubb said. "For us, (the key is) throwing strikes because walks always lead to errors, and then our offense feels pressure and it doesn't seem like we get the hits we need to to combat walks and errors."

Lethbridge 200 001 4 - 7 9 0

Glacier 150 103 x - 10 9 1

Spencer Farrell, Braeden Horon (6) and Matt Weninger. Zane Ridings and Brad Nielsen. W - Ridings. L - Farrell.

LETHBRIDGE (9-9) - Chad Northcott 1-4, Weninger 0-4, Tyler Tamayose 1-2, Farrell 2-4, Horon 2-4, Adrian Piakon 1-4, Brock Fulkerth 1-3, Mark Clauson 1-3, Beau Barthel 0-2.

GLACIER (7-9) - Roo Grubb 2-3, Scott Yogodzinski 1-3, Brad Bell 1-3, Justin Collom 2-4, Weston Chambers 0-4, Rusty Hill 0-3, Josh Peterson 1-3, Ryan Caron 1-2, Nielsen 1-3.

HR - Leth. 2 (Farrell, Horon), Gla. 0. SB - Leth. 2 (Northcott, Fulkerth), Gla. 2 (Nielsen 2).