Mariners tip Libby, finish 3rd in tourney

The Daily Inter Lake

WHITEFISH - Tim Rausch turned in a strong performance on the mound and Mission Valley used timely hitting to slip by Libby 7-6 Saturday in the third-place game at the Ed Gallo memorial Class A American Legion baseball tournament.

Rausch struck out 12 batters and checked Libby on three hits to improve to 3-1 on the season.

Rausch fanned a Libby hitter in every inning but the first and struck out the side in the second inning. He collected three Ks in the sixth inning and two more in the third.

Brandon Thompson led the Mariners' hit parade, going 3-for-3. Rausch and Kyle Brown were next with two hits apiece.

Eric Locke, Will Gordon and Brown doubled for Mission Valley.

Nine Mariners registered hits in the contest. Rausch and Beau Nordberg had the team's only RBIs.

Libby was led by Richard Brumbaugh, who went 2-for-4. Brumbaugh also doubled in the contest and had two RBIs.

Mission Valley had its 13-game winning streak snapped on Friday night, falling to the Glacier Twins 9-8. That win advanced Glacier to the championship game Saturday with Laurel.

Mission Valley finished tournament play with a 3-1 record.

The Mariners won the Maybelle Arthur Tournament last weekend in Dillon.

Mission Valley, 8-0 in league play and 29-6 overall, hosts Salmon, Idaho, on Monday, 3 p.m., for a doubleheader.

Mission Valley 103 102 0 - 7 12 4

Libby 200 004 0 - 6 3 7

Tim Rausch and John Rausch; N. Peltier, Zach Rowan (6) and Steve Bertelsen. W - T. Rausch, 3-1 (3 hits, 12 strikeouts, 4 walks, 1 hit batter). L - Rowan.

Mission Valley - John Rausch 1-4, Eric Locke 1-4, Brandon Thompson 3-3, Will Gordon 1-3, Tim Rausch 2-4, Beau Nordberg 1-4, Cubby Pierre 1-3, Craig Bagnell 0-1, Nick Fell 1-2, Austin Moran 0-1, Kyle Brown 2-3.

Libby - Rowan 0-2, R. Henderson 0-3, Bertelsen 0-3, Richard Brumbaugh 2-4, Derek Benefield 1-2, R. Stapley 0-3, Peltier 0-3, C. Herbig 1-3, K. Volkers 0-3.

2B-Locke, Gordon, Brown; Brumbaugh; RBIs-T. Rausch, Nordberg; Brumbaugh (2).