Lakers sweep Loggers

It doesn't happen often.

The Kalispell Lakers Class A American Legion baseball team completed a regular-season sweep over Western A rival Libby on Wednesday evening by sweeping a doubleheader at Griffin Field, 9-8 and 4-3.

Both games went into extra innings and the Lakers had both starting pitchers hurl more than seven innings apiece.

The Lakers swept Sunday's doubleheader from the Loggers too, 10-3 and 14-2, in Libby.

The young Lakers are still unbeaten in conference play at 8-0 and basically locked up the regular-season's top seed with four conference games left - two against Kootenai Valley and two against Glacier. They moved to 12-11 overall on the season. They play Glacier Friday night in one nine-inning game starting at 6 p.m.

The Loggers dropped to 1-4 in conference play and 11-11 overall. They host the Big Bucks Tournament this weekend.

Kalispell 9, Libby 8 (8)

Trailing 8-7 going into the bottom of the eighth inning after Libby scored an unearned run in the top of the eighth, the Lakers plated two runs for a walk-off victory.

Kalispell's Brian Sneck and Zach Brosten led off with back-to-back doubles to tie the game. Then with two outs, left-handed hitting Ryan Andrews blasted the first pitch he saw into a ground ball down the third-base line to knock in Brosten with the winning run.

"It was a curve ball down the middle of the plate," said Andrews, who was thrown out at home with the potential winning run in the seventh inning by Libby center fielder Zack Rowan. "Coach told me not to swing at a first pitch curve ball. But I did. I had to. It was right down the middle. It feels great. That was intense."

Andrews and Brosten each had three hits as the Lakers out-hit the Loggers, 13-8.

Sneck started and pitched 7 1/3 innings. He allowed eight hits and five walks while striking out seven. But Toby Liechti had to pitch him out of a jam in the eighth inning and picked up his third victory of the season.

The Lakers committed eight errors and the Loggers plated four unearned runs. The Lakers also scored four unearned runs with Libby committing only three errors.

Darin Olson and Sneck each had two hits in the victory and Austin Roehl had a two-run single in the fifthinning to cut a 5-2 deficit to 5-4.

Libby starting pitcher Derek Benefield highlighted a four-run fifth inning with a two-run single. From the mound, he spread seven hits and four walks over five innings and left the hill with the lead.

Kasey Basso highlighted a two-run seventh inning for the Loggers with an RBI single, which sent the game into extra innings.

Steve Bertelsen and Matt Schad each had two hits in the loss.

Libby 000 140 21 - 8 8 3

Kalispell 110 023 02 - 9 13 8

Derek Benefield, Steve Bertelsen (6) and Kasey Basso. Brian Sneck, Toby Liechti (8) and Zack Brosten. W - Liechti (3-1). L - Bertelsen (3-3).

LIBBY (1-3, 11-10) - Zack Rowan 1-4, Rory Hendrickson 1-5, Bertelsen 2-3, Benefield 1-4, Matt Schad 2-3, Kody Foote 0-1, Ryan Stapley 0-0, Richard Brumbaugh 0-3, Basso 1-4, Nate Peltier 0-4, Kory Volkers 0-3.

KALISPELL (7-0, 12-11) - Ben Sansaver 1-2, Drew Forster 0-4, Sneck 2-4, Brosten 3-4, Austin Roehl 1-5, Liechti 1-4, Ryan Andrews 3-5, Darin Olson 2-4, Josh Stratton 0-2, Blaine Matulevich 0-0.

RBIs - Lib. 5 (Schad 2, Benefield 2, Basso), Kal. 5 (Roehl 2, Sneck, Stratton, Andrews). 2B - Lib. 0, Kal. 2 (Sneck, Brosten). SB - Lib. 3 (Basso, Volkers, Rowan), Kal. 5 (Sansaver 2, Sneck 2, Olson). SAC - Lib. 0, Kal. 1 (Stratton).

Kalispell 4, Libby 3 (8)

Kalispell's Ben Sansaver and Libby's Nate Peltier hurled a pitchers' duel and the defenses combined for just one error … until the bottom of the eighth.

That's when Libby committed two errors. Andrews, who was pinch running for Brosten (who singled to start the inning), came around to score the walk-off run. Roehl executed a perfect sacrifice bunt with Andrews on second and Libby committed an error trying to throw Roehl out.

Brosten finished with three hits, including another double.

Libby scored all three of its runs in the third while Kalispell scored a run apiece in the second, fourth, fifth and eighth.

Sansaver improved to 3-0 with the complete-game victory. He allowed seven hits and five walks over eight innings while striking out six.

Peltier spread seven hits and three walks over seven innings while striking out seven. He pitched perfect sixth and seven innings.

Kody Foote and Bertelsen each had two hits and a stolen base to pace Libby on offense.

The Loggers had two runners thrown out at home in the sixth and seven innings. Kalispell third baseman Drew Forster was responsible for one while Sansaver got the other.

Libby 003 000 00 - 3 7 3

Kalispell 010 110 01 - 4 8 0

Peltier, Hendrickson (8) and Schad. Sansaver and Brosten. W - Sansaver (3-0). L - Hendrickson (n/a).

LIBBY (1-4, 11-11) - Rowan 1-4, Chris Herbig 0-0, Bertelsen 2-4, Benefield 0-4, Schad 1-4, Basso 0-2, Mitch Cotten 0-1, Peltier 0-0, Stapley 0-4, Volkers 1-3, Foote 2-3, Hendrickson 0-0.

KALISPELL (8-0, 13-11) - Sansaver 0-3, Forster 2-3, Sneck 0-4, Brosten 3-4, Andrews 0-0, Liechti 0-3, Roehl 1-3, Olson 1-2, Chase Decker 1-3, Matulevich 0-3.

RBIs - Lib. 1 (Bertelsen), Kal. 2 (Decker, Liechti). 2B - Lib. 1 (Rowan), Kal. 2 (Brosten, Forster). SB - Lib. 3 (Bertelsen, Volkers, Foote), Kal. 1 (Olson). SAC - Lib. 0, Kal. 2 (Olson, Roehl).

Sunday

Kalispell 10, Libby 3

In Libby, trailing 3-2 going into the top of the seventh inning, the Lakers knocked around six singles in scoring eight runs to put the game out of reach.

Sneck and Brosten each went 3-for-5 to lead the Lakers' charge. Roehl went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

Sansaver struck out six and allowed six hits with no walks in earning the complete-game victory and improving to 2-0 on the season.

"Ben was great for us on the mound," Lakers coach Pat Conners said. "He had good velocity and kept the ball down in the zone. The important thing was he didn't give up any walks. He made Libby swing the bat and put the ball in play and our defense backed him up."

Richard Brumbaugh went 3-for-3 to pace Libby.

Kalispell 000 020 8 - 10 9 1

Libby 000 120 0 - 3 6 4

Sansaver and Brosten. Steve Bertelsen, Hendrickson and Schad. W - Sansaver (2-0). L - Bertelsen (3-3).

KALISPELL (5-0, 10-11) - Sansaver 1-4, Forster 0-4, Sneck 3-5, Brosten 3-5, Roehl 2-4, Andrews 0-4, Olson 0-2, Decker 0-1, Matulevich 0-3, Liechti 0-1.

LIBBY (1-1, 11-8) - Rowan 2-2, Royce Hendrickson 0-1, Rory Hendrickson 0-4, Bertelsen 0-3, Benefield 0-3, Schad 1-3, Brumbaugh 3-3, Stapley 0-2, Peltier 0-3, Foote 0-3.

RBIs - Kal. 6 (Roehl 3, Brosten 2, Sneck), Lib. 1 (Royce Hendrickson). 2B - Kal. 0, Lib. 1 (Schad).

Kalispell 14, Libby 2

Evan Ploeger spread five hits with no walks over five innings while striking out seven in the complete-game victory. It was his third win of the season.

Andrews had two triples and three RBIs while Blaine Matulevich went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

"Our pitching was solid again," Conners said. "Evan had another good outing for us. He located his fastball well and had a great curve ball to keep their hitters off balance. What I was really impressed with was he had no walks, which is huge - especially in conference play.

"Libby is a good team. So to hold them to five runs in two games is great. The credit goes to our pitchers."

Kalispell 125 204 - 14 12 1

Libby 000 020 - 2 5 3

Evan Ploeger and Reid Buckley, Brosten. Rowan, Colt Cannon, Nick Monroe and Basso. W - Ploeger (3-2). L - Rowan (1-2).

KALISPELL (6-0, 11-11) - Sansaver 3-5, Forster 0-3, Sneck 2-4, Brosten 1-4, Roehl 0-2, Buckley 1-2, Andrews 2-4, Olson 0-2, Matulevich 3-4, Ploeger 0-2, Caleb Sibley 0-1.

LIBBY (1-2, 11-9) - Rowan 0-3, Hendrickson 0-3, Bertelsen 0-3, Schad 1-3, Brumbaugh 1-3, Basso 0-2, Peltier 1-2, Volkers 1-2, Cotten 1-2.

RBIs - Kal. 10 (Andrews 3, Brosten 2, Matulevich 2, Sansaver, Forster, Buckley). Lib. 2 (Brumbaugh, Bertelsen). 3B - Kal. 2 (Andrews 2), Lib. 0. 2B - Kal. 1 (Matulevich), Lib. 0.