Mariners' win streak reaches 15 games

| July 3, 2008 1:00 AM

The Daily Inter Lake

FLORENCE - Tim Rausch threw a one-hitter as Mission Valley pushed its winning streak to 15 games Wednesday in an American Legion baseball doubleheader sweep of the Bitterroot Bucs.

Rausch struck out six and walked four as the Mariners rolled to a 14-1 victory in the second game.

Rausch gave up a single in the fourth inning to Jeremy Johnson.

Rausch, John Rausch and Craig Bagnell all had three hits. Bagnell had a team-high four RBIs.

Mission Valley benefitted from five walks to score three runs in the ninth inning of the opener for a 9-7 victory.

Eric Locke went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs. Tim Rausch had three RBIs.

The Mariners host the Firecracker Tournament, which begins Friday at 9 a.m. Also entered are: Missoula Pioneers, Bitterroot Red Sox, Cranbrook, British Columbia, Bandits, Kootenai Valley Rangers, Helena Reps, Deer Lodge Wranglers and Havre North Stars.

The tournament championship game is Sunday, 4:30 p.m.

Mission Valley opens tournament action Friday at 6 p.m. versus the Havre North Stars.

Mission Valley 000 411 3 - 9 11 3

Bitterroot Bucs 104 000 2 - 7 6 1

Spencer Trawick, Derrick Rathe (7) and John Rausch; Koby Salmela, Xavier Morigreau (7) and Billy Hanna. W - Trawick. L - Salmela.

Mission Valley - J. Rausch 1-4, Eric Locke 3-3, Tim Rausch 2-3, Tyler Linse 1-4, Beau Norberg 1-3, Nick Fell 0-4, Brandon Roy 1-2, Chris Alfiero 1-3, Kyle Brown 1-2.

Bitterroot - Max Burns 1-2, Jeremy Johnson 0-3, Hanna 1-4, Matt Perez 2-2, Dominic Goble 1-3, Luke Topp 1-3, Jeremy Stevens 0-2, Zach Blackstun 0-3, R. P. Llewelyn 0-1, Xavier Morigeau 0-4.

2B-Locke, Alfiero; 3B-T. Rausch; RBIs-J. Rausch, Locke (2), T. Rausch (3), Linse, Alfiero, Brown; Perez, Stevens, Llewelyn.

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Mission Valley 338 00 - 14 13 1

Bitterroot 000 10 - 1 1 2

T. Rausch and J. Rausch; Topp, Shane Taylor (3) and Hanna. W - T. Rausch. L - Topp.

Mission Valley (10-0, 36-9) - J. Rausch 3-4, Locke 0-3, T. Rausch 3-3, Linse 1-2, Nordberg 1-3, Fell 0-2, Austin Moran 0-1, Craig Bagnell 3-4, Alfiero 1-4, Brown 1-2, Rocky Reynolds 0-0.

Bitterroot - Burns 0-3, Topp 0-1, Taylor 0-2, Hanna 0-2, Perez 0-1, Goble 0-2, Stevens 0-1, Johnson 1-1, Salmela 0-0, Travis Fechko 0-1, Morigeau 0-2.

2B-J. Rausch, Linse, Bagnell; RBIs-J. Rausch (2), T. Rausch, Linse (3), Nordberg, Bagnell (4), Alfiero (2); Johnson.