Loggers advance
The Daily Inter Lake
FLORENCE - Nate Peltier and Rory Hendrickson combined on a three-hitter as Libby downed the Bitterroot Red Sox 8-4 on Friday in Western A American Legion District baseball tournament play.
Libby and Bitterroot were tied at 4-all after three innings, but Peltier and Hendrickson limited Bitterroot to just one hit after the fourth inning.
Chris Herbig put Libby up 2-1 with a two-out, two-run single to right-center field in the second inning.
The Loggers put the game away with a three-run fourth inning.
"Our team speed was highlighted in that inning," Libby coach Kelly Morford said.
"We beat out a lot of groundballs there."
Morford said that inning also produced a game-changing play.
"There was a close play at first," he said.
"They called our guy (Nate Peltier) safe. He collided with their first baseman (beating out an infield hit). They (Bitterroot coaches) started disputing the call and time was never called. (Ryan) Stapley was on third and kept creeping off third and finally stole home. That was a pretty big momentum swing for both teams. A heads-up play. That put us up 7-4."
Libby, winners of three straight games, face Mission Valley today at 3 p.m. in the semifinal game. The winner advances to the championship contest Sunday at 1 p.m.
Mission Valley is 3-1 versus Libby this season.
"Our losses are by a total of four combined runs," Morford said.
"We've had some good ballgames with them."
Derek Benefield (6-4) will pitch for Libby today.
"We've been riding a pretty good wave here," Morford said.
"We're pretty confident. Hopefully we can keep things going."
Libby 022 310 000 - 8 7 2
Bitterroot Red Sox 103 000 000 - 4 3 4
Nate Peltier, Rory Hendrickson (9) and Matt Schad; Ryan Weigle, Brown (6) and Brady Anderson. W - Peltier (5-2). L - Weigle.
Libby - Chris Herbig 1-5, Steve Bertelsen 1-3, Hendrickson 2-5, Schad 0-4, Ryan Stapley 0-4, Peltier 0-5, Derek Benefield 0-2, Dustin Morningstar 2-4, Colt Cannon 1-4.
Bitterroot - Josh Shook 0-4, Rodee Anderson 2-4, Matt Hamlin 0-4, B. Anderson 0-3, Drew Brown 0-4, Austin Allen 1-3, Wes Sherman 0-4, Paul Donaldson 0-1, Weigle 0-2, Mike Stanford 0-2.
3B-R. Anderson; HR-R. Anderson; RBIs-Herbig (2), Bertelsen, Morningstar; NA for Bitterroot.
Mission Valley 14, Bitterroot Bucs 2
Mission Valley tallied 12 runs in the first two innings to cruise to an easy victory and remain undefeated in tournament play.
The Mariners sent 15 batters to the plate in the nine-run first inning. Eric Locke and John Rausch both scored twice in the inning.
Locke, 4-for-5 had three of the team's nine doubles. Derrick Rathe, 3-for-4, doubled twice.
Locke and Kyle Brown both drove in three runs.
Brandon Roy went the distance for Mission Valley. He gave up nine hits, but fanned six. He issued three walks and hit two batters.
Mission Valley stranded 13 runners in the contest.
Mission Valley faces Libby today at 3 p.m. in the district semifinal.
Bitterroot Bucs 100 000 1 - 2 9 1
Mission Valley 930 011 x - 14 17 2
Jeremy Johnson, Jeremy Stevens (2) and Billy Hanna; Brandon Roy and John Rausch. W - Roy (10-2). L - J ohnson.
Bitterroot Bucs - Max Burns 1-3, Austin Erler 1-4, Tyler Lind 1-3, Matt Perez 2-3, Dominic Goble 2-4, Hanna 1-3, Josh Ziegler 1-3, Luke Topp 0-4, Stevens 0-4.
Mission Valley (53-10) - J. Rausch 2-3, Eric Locke 4-5, Tim Rausch 2-3, Roy 2-4, Beau Nordberg 0-3, Nick Fell 1-4, Craig Bagnell 1-3, Derrick Rathe 3-4, Kyle Brown 2-4.
2B-Perez, Locke (3), J. Rausch, Roy, Fell, Rathe (2), Brown; RBIs-Goble, Ziegler; J. Rausch, Locke (3), T. Rausch, Roy (2), Nordberg, Fell, Rathe, Brown (3).
Kootenai Valley 6, Kalispell 4
Kalispell outhit Kootenai Valley 13-8, but the Rangers pervailed in the score column to eliminate the Lakers from tournament play.
Joe Pistorese, Michael O'Connell and Shawn Moodey all went 2-for-5 for Kalispell.
Kalispell 000 010 102 - 4 13 1
Kootenia Valley 101 201 01x - 6 8 0
Tanner Salois and Greg Seaman. Lesowski, Lowe (9) and Clinton Chupp. W - Lesowski. L - Salois.
Kootenai Valley - Lesowski 3-4 RBI and double; Chad Price 2-4.
Kalispel - Joe Pistorese 2-5, RBI; Michael O'Connell 2-5, double; Shawn Moody 2-5, RBI
Missoula 16, Glacier 7
The Glacier Twins were eliminated from tournament play, dropping their second contest in two days.
Glacier's Willie Roche, 3-for-4, hit a two-run homer.
Missoula 203 221 105 - 16 17 1
Glacier 010 002 202 - 7 9 6
Anthony Maes, Jordan Schafer (7) and Josh Seeberger. Willie Roche, Trevor Miller (5) and Cody Hill and Dalton Laurier (7).
Western A
At Florence
Thursday
Bitterroot Red Sox 17, Glacier Twins 5
Libby Loggers 8, Missoula Mavericks 5
Mission Valley Mariners 1, Kalispell Lakers 0 (10)
Bitterroot Bucs 18, Kootenai Valley Rangers 8
Friday
Libby 8, Bitterroot Red Sox 4
Missoula 16, Glacier 7
Kootenai Valley 6, Kalispell 4
Mission Valley 14, Bitterroot Bucs 2
Today
Loser Out
8:30 a.m. - Red Sox vs. Kootenai Valley
Noon - Biterroot Bucks vs. Mavericks
Winner's Bracket
3 p.m. - Semifinal - Libby vs. Mission Valley
6 p.m. - Bucks-Mavericks vs. Red Sox/Rangers winners
Eastern A
At Sidney
Wednesday
Billings Blue Jays 16, Colstrip 2
Billings Cardinals 5, Glasgow 2
Glendive 6, Lewistown 5 (13)
Plentywood 15, Conrad 8
Thursday
Billings Blue Jays 10, Wolf Point 1
Laurel 11, Sidney 1
Glasgow 15, Plentywood 6
Northern A
At Conrad
Thursday
Great Falls Stallions 6, Lethbridge 3
Medicine Hat 8, Fort Macleod 7
Vauxhall 11, Great Falls Sparkies 5
Havre 10, Tri-County 7
Southern A
At Dillon
Friday
Gallatin Valley 11, Anaconda 1 (7)
Bozeman 12, Deer Lodge 6
Helena 8, Butte 6
Dillon 7, Livingston 4
Today's Games
Loser's Bracket
9 a.m. - Anaconda (11-28) vs. Deer Lodge (20-28)
11 a.m. - Butte (16-33) vs. Livingston
Winner's Bracket
2 p.m. - Gallatin Valley Outlaws (33-20) vs. Bozeman Spikes (24-24)
5 p.m. - Helena (34-14) vs. Dillon (43-25)