Mariners end regular season on high note
The Daily Inter Lake
POLSON - Tim Rausch hit two home runs, two doubles and had six RBIs as the Mission Valley Mariners downed the visiting Bitterroot Bucs, 14-1 and 12-5 on Sunday.
The Mariners placed first in their conference and head to their district tournament Thursday with a 16-0 record (51-10 overall).
Eric Locke struck out nine, gave up two hits and walked none in the first game. He improved to 8-0.
Locke also hit a home run to help the Mariners win the second game.
Brandon Roy got the win in the second game. He struck out five, walked two, gave up four hits and hit three batsmen in that game.
John Rausch hit two doubles in the first game and a triple in the second game.
Mission Valley (16-0, 51-10) starts American Legion district play Thursday in Florence.
Mariners 14, Bitterroot Bucs 1
Bitteroot 000 0 1 - 1 2 1
Mission Valley 536 0 x -14 14 4
A. Erler, Jeremy Stevens (2) and Billy Hanna. Eric Locke and John Rausch. W - Locke (8-0). L - Erler.
Bitterroot - Max Burns 0-3, Jeremy Johnson 0-2, Tyler Lind 0-2, Matt Perez 1-2, Dominic Goble 0-2, Billy Hanna 0-2, Josh Zigler 0-2, Xavier Morigeau 0-2, Luke Topp 1-2.
2B - Perez.
Mission Valley - John Rausch 2-3, Eric Locke 2-3, Tim Rausch 2-3, Tyler Linse 1-3, Derrick Rathe 0-1, Beau Nordberg 3-3, Nick Fell 1-1, Austin Moran 0-0, Craig Bagnell 2-2, Brandon Roy 0-2, Kyle Bagnell 0-0, Kyle Brown 1-3.
2B - J. Rausch 2, Linse 1, Nordberg 1.
HR - T. Rausch 2.
RBIs: Locke 1, T. Rausch 5, Nordberg 3, Nick Fell 1, C. Bagnell 2, K. Brown 1.
Bitterroot 100 040 0 - 5 4 4
Mission Valley 363 000 - 12 10 3
Koby Salmela, Shane Taylor (3) and Billy Hanna. Brandon Roy, Kyle Bagnell (6) and John Rausch, Kyle Bagnell (4) and Derrick Rathe (5). W - Brandon Roy (9-2)
Bitterroot Bucs - Burns 0-1, A. Erler 0-1, Lind 1-3, Perez 1-3, Goble 2-3, Hanna 0-4, Johnson 0-4, Topp 0-4, Jeremy Stevens 0-2.
Mission Valley - J. Rausch 1-2, Matt Detwiler 0-1, Locke 2-2, K. Bagnell 0-2, T. Rausch 2-2, Spencer Trawick 0-1, Linse 1-4, Nordberg 0-3, Rathe 0-1, Nick Fell 2-3, Moran 0-0, C. Bagnell 1-3, Jay Sorrell 0-1, Roy 1-3, K. Brown 0-2, Josh Reed 0-1.
2B - Tim Rausch 2, Brandon Roy 1
3B - John Rausch
HR - Eric Locke
RBIs: J. Rausch 1, Locke 3, T. Rausch 1, Tyler Linse 2, Fell 3, C. Bagnell 1.
Libby 22, Kootenai Valley 5
Kootenai Valley 7, Libby 3
EUREKA - The Libby Loggers American Legion baseball team clinched their conference title Sunday when they downed the Kootenai Valley Rangers 22-5 in the first half of a doubleheader.
Kootenai Valley (7-5) won the second game, 7-3.
The Loggers (9-3) got a big boost from Derek Willis' 3-run pinch-hit home run in the fifth inning.
Rory Hendrickson was 3-for-3 in that game with a double and four RBIs.
But the second game was a different story.
"I kind of wonder if we wore our bats out in that first game. I guess that's baseball for you," said Libby coach Kelly Morford.
"Josh Soderling Soderling threw well for them in that second game. He had 10 strikeouts, no walks and one 1 hit batter," Morford said.
"You kind of wonder if there was potential letdown there (from the Loggers)," he added.
Libby is in Whitefish tonight to take on Glacier AA at 6 p.m., then opens the district tournament at noon Thursday in Florence against the Missoula Mavs.
Libby 22, Eureka 5
Libby 421 87 - 22 18 3
Eureka 002 03 - 5 6 2
Derek Benefield and Matt Schad. Kris Chupp, Chad Price (4) and Clint Chupp. W - Benefield.
Libby - Chris Herbig 2-4, Pat Hickman 0-0, Eric Grotjohn 0-0, Steve Bertelsen 2-4, Rory Hendrickson 3-4, Matt Schad 1-3, Ryan Stapley 1-3, Derek Willis 1-1, Derek Benefield 3-5, Nate Peltier 1-4, Dustin Morningstar 2-2, Spencer Koskela 0-1, Colt Cannon 2-3, Adam Stapley 0-0.
2B - Rory Hendrickson
3B - Ryan Stapley, Nate Peltier.
HR - Willis.
RBis: Herbig 1, Bertelsen 2, Rory Hendrickson 4, Schad 1, Ryan Stapley 3, Derek Willis 3, Benefield 1, Peltier 3, Morningstar 1, Cannon 1.
Eureka - Clete DeShazer 0-2, Clint Chupp 1-2, Kris Chupp 2-3, Josh Soderling 1-3, Chad Price 1-3, Alex Lesowski 0-3, Balin Rogers 0-2, Jacob Grove 1-2, Andrew Lowe 0-2,
2B - Kris Chupp
RBIs: Kris Chupp 2, Soderling 1, Price 1.
Kootenai Valley 7, Libby 3
Libby 000 021 0 - 3 7 4
Eureka 320 002 x - 7 8 1
Chris Herbig, Dustin Morningstar (5), Rory Hendrickson (6) and Steve Bertelsen, Matt Schad (5). Josh Soderling, Lesowski (7) and Clint Chupp. W - Soderling.
Libby - Colt Cannon 1-4, Chris Herbig 1-3, Steve Bertelsen 1-4, Rory Hendrickson 0-4, Ryan Stapley 1-2, Nate Peltier 2-3, Royce Hendrickson 0-2, Dustin Morningstar 0-1, Kelly May 0-1, Derek Benefield 0-2, Eric Grotjohn 0-1, Matt Schad 1-1 Adam Stapley 0-0.
2B - Ryan Stapley.
RBI - Herbig 1, Peltier 1, Schad 1.
Kootenai Valley - Clete DeShazer 1-2, Chad Price 1-4, Kris Chupp 1-1, Soderling 2-4, Clint Chupp 1-4, Taylor Brown 0-4, Lance McMarrel 0-2, Grove 0-1, Rogers 1-3, Lesowski 1-3.
2B - Soderling
3B - Kris Chupp
RBI -C. Chupp 1, Soderling 3.