Lakers walk all over Twins, 21-9

Kalispell moves to 2-0 in conference play

Moments after Glacier walked 11 Kalispell batters and struck four more with pitches, Twins coach Jarod Grubb pondered whether anything is more agonizing than watching his pitchers issue free passes.

"I'm trying to think of something more frustrating, and I can't," he said. "Just walks because there's nothing you can do about it."

The Lakers capitalized on Glacier's control woes Wednesday night, pounding the Twins 21-9 in a Western AA American Legion baseball game at Griffin Field, which was shortened to seven innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.

Kalispell broke the game wide open in the fourth inning, scoring 11 runs on four hits, six walks and three hit batsmen. The Lakers totaled 16 hits in improving to 2-0 in conference play and 17-6 overall.

"I felt the last eight-to-10 games we've struggled offensively," Lakers coach Ryan Malmin said. "We haven't been hitting like we had earlier in the season. I was hoping that we would bust out sometime soon, and fortunately it came tonight with a conference game."

Third baseman Adam Olson led Kalispell's onslaught, going 4-for-4 with a double and seven RBIs.

Lakers center fielder Jacob Scott had a flawless night in the leadoff spot, scoring four runs while walking five times. He singled in his only official at-bat, which came in the second inning.

Kalispell second baseman Austin Zapata went 3-for-5, driving in two runs and scoring three more.

Zach Davis and right fielder Tucker Hankinson had two hits apiece for Kalispell while left fielder Derek Keller knocked in two runs.

Davis (2-0) was the beneficiary of Kalispell's outburst, pitching five innings of three-hit ball to earn the win. He got off to a shaky start, allowing four runs (two earned) through three innings, but allowed only one hit and no runs over his final two frames.

The Lakers led just 6-4 before the decisive fourth inning.

"I don't care about the runs, I just go up there and try to pitch strikes," Davis said. "It doesn't really matter what the run total is.

"(The Twins) were swinging the bats hard, and you've just got to go out there and get the mindset down. You've got to bear down and throw strikes. I've got good defense behind me, I just need to throw strikes and put the ball in play."

Davis walked two Twins to start the fifth inning, but retired the next three batters after a mound visit from Malmin.

"He was upping pitches a little bit and I asked him if he was OK," Malmin said. "Then after that I said, 'You're our go-to guy. You're the guy that's gotta shut people down, and the way to do that is to throw strikes and make them earn it.'"

Catcher Ryan Caron led Glacier's offense with two hits and three RBIs. The Twins totaled seven hits in the game and scored five runs in the seventh inning, including two on a double to left field by Scott Yogodzinski, which almost left the yard.

The Twins fall to 0-2 in conference games and 15-9 overall, but Grubb said he didn't need to remind his team that Wednesday's blowout counts as just one loss.

"They know," he said. "Their attitudes are great. We know we're a good team, and the attitude was, 'Ouch, (11) walks.' We had great at-bats all game."

The Lakers host the powerful Missoula Mavericks at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Twins are off until June 8 when they look to resume their winning ways with a three-day tournament in Spokane, Wash.

Grubb said the Twins have had very few pitching performances this season that weren't at least solid.

"The older they get and the more they throw and the more they work on their proper mechanics, the better they'll get," he said. "Hitters and pitchers and athletes - they have bad days, especially as youngsters. That's what happened."

Glacier 211 000 5 - 9 7 3

Kalispell 321 (11) 40 x - 21 16 2

Justin Collom, Michael Hader (4), Scott Palmer (4), Roo Grubb (6) and Ryan Caron and Brad Nielsen (6). Zach Davis, Tyler Reichhoff (6) and Pat Hergesheimer. W - Davis (2-0). L - Collom (NA).

GLACIER (15-9, 0-2) - Grubb 1-3, Palmer 0-1, Nielsen 0-0, Brad Bell 1-2, Josh Peterson 0-4, Weston Chambers 0-2, Rusty Hill 1-3, Caron 2-4, Zane Ridings 1-1, Scott Yogodzinski 1-2, Hader 0-4.

KALISPELL (17-6, 2-0) - Jacob Scott 1-1, Austin Zapata 3-5, Reichhoff 1-4, Adam Olson 4-4, John White 1-2, Derek Keller 1-4, Davis 2-4, Hergesheimer 1-5, Tucker Hankinson 2-3.

RBIs - Gla. 8 (Caron 3, Hill 2, Yogodzinski 2, Chambers), Kal. 18 (Olson 7, Davis 3, Zapata 2, Keller 2, Scott, Hankinson, Reichhoff, White). 2B - Gla. 2 (Caron, Yogodzinski), Kal. 3 (Zapata, Hankinson, Olson). SB - Gla. 2 (Grubb, Palmer), Kal. 3 (Olson, Scott, Hankinson). SAC - Gla. 1 (Bell), Kal. 0.