Mariners split in Taft tourney

| June 8, 2008 1:00 AM

The Daily Inter Lake

GREAT FALLS - Eric Locke went the distance on the mound and crushed a three-run, walk-off home run in the sixth inning as Mission Valley downed Glendive 9-1 Saturday at the Jon Taft Memorial Tournament.

Locke (2-0) struck out nine batters and issued just one walk.

His home run was the second of the season.

The American Legion baseball tournament has an eight-run rule after five innings instead of the normal 10-run rule after seven.

Tim Rausch hit an inside-the-park home run for Mission Valley in the third inning. It was his second round tripper of the season.

That gave Mission Valley a split on the day. The Mariners dropped a 9-2 decision earlier to the Great Falls Electrics.

Great Falls pitcher Casey Johnson limited Mission Valley to three hits.

Mission Valley is 2-1 in tournament action and plays today. Game time and opponent will depend on seeding.

The Mariners are 13-6 overall.

Mission Valley was missing three starters Saturday. Craig Bagnell was taking his SAT, while Beau Nordberg and John Rausch were attending graduation ceremonies.

Great Falls Electrics 121 400 1 - 9 9 1

Mission Valley 002 000 0 - 2 3 4

Casey Johnson and Tyler Brinka; Brandon Roy, Spencer Trawick (7) and Tim Rausch. W - Johnson. L - Roy.,

Great Falls - John Reilly 1-4, Taylor Shanahan 0-4, Casey Johnson 0-3, Hunter Carlyon 2-3, Tucker Cook 1-4, Ethan Hortick 0-4, Brinka 2-4, Joel Larance 2-3, Reid Tramelli 1-3.

Mission Valley - Kyle Brown 0-3, Eric Locke 1-2, Rausch 1-3, Tyler Linse 0-3, Josh Reed 0-3, Nick Fell 0-2, Chris Alfiero 0-3, Derrick Rathe 1-1, Austin Moran 0-3.

2B-Cook; Rathe; 3B-Carlyon (2); Rausch; RBIs-NA

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Glendive Blue Devils 000 001 - 1 4 2

Mission Valley 104 013 - 9 10 0

Sebastian Lamphier, Ryate Walstad (4) and Dillon Beach; Locke and Rausch. W - Locke (2-0). L - Lamphier.

Glendive - Darien Saemen 1-2, Cody Cullinan 1-2, Beach 0-3, Lamphier 1-3, Brenden Vetter 0-2, Robbie Radakovich 1-3, Josh Almond 1-2, Waldstad 0-2, Hogland 0-2.

Mission Valley - Brown 1-1, Locke 2-3, Rausch 2-3, Tyler Linse 2-2, Rocky Reynolds 1-2, Rathe 1-2, Reed 0-2, Alfiero 1-3, Kyle Bagnell 0-2.

2B-Locke, Linse (2), Reynolds; 3B-Alfiero; HR-Rausch, Locke

Libby 8, Kalispell 7

Libby 4, Kalispell 3

LIBBY - Libby opened Western A American Legion conference play Friday night with a pair of one-run victories over Kalispell's Lakers.

Libby held off Laker rallies in both games.

Kalispell scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning in the first game to get within one, but Libby pitcher Derek Benefield struck out Karl Ingram to end the game with Laker runners on second and third.

Michael O'Connell belted a three-run home run for Kalispell in the fifth inning, and teammate Greg Seaman led off the sixth with a home run.

Benefield finished with five strikeouts. He issued no walks.

In the second game, Kalispell scored once in the top of the seventh to get within a run, and had runners on first and second with two outs. But Loggers pitcher Rory Hendrickson struck out Caleb Sibley to end the game.

Kalispell's Joe Pistorese turned in a strong mound effort. He went the distance and limited Libby to four singles. He fanned 12.

Pistorese had Kalispell's only extra-base hit - a double.

Chris Herbig, 2-for-4, had two RBIs for Libby.

Libby (5-11, 2-0) plays a nonconference doubleheader at the Glacier AA Twins today at 3 p.m., weather permitting.

Kalispell entertains the Glacier Twins on Monday at 6 p.m. for one nine-inning league game.

Game 1

Kalispell 000 031 3 - 7 9 2

Libby 031 022 x - 8 7 3

Tanner Salois and Darin Olson; Derek Benefield and Matt Schad. W - Benefield. L - Salois.

Kalispell - Blaine Matulevich 1-4, Michael O'Connell 2-4, Olson 0-4, Greg Seaman 2-4, Shawn Moody 2-4, Karl Ingram 0-4, Chris Calles 0-3, Bryant Eickert 1-2, Joe Pistorese 1-3.

Libby - Colton Cannon 0-3, Chris Herbig 0-4, Rory Hendrickson 1-3, Schad 1-2, Steve Bertelsen 1-1, Nate Peltier 0-4, Benefield 0-1, Ryan Stapley 2-2, Dustin Morningstar 2-3.

2B-Moody; Hendrickson; HRs-O'Connell, Seaman; RBIs-O'Connell (4), Moody (2), Seaman.

Game 2

Kalispell 110 000 1 - 3 6 1

Libby 002 200 x - 4 4 1

Pistorese, Matt O'Brien (6) and Seaman; Bertelsen, Hendrickson (6) and Schad. W - Bertelsen. L - Pistorese. S - Hendrickson.

Kalispell - Matulevich 1-3, O'Connell 1-4, Seaman 0-2, Moody 1-2, O'Brien 0-3, Calles 1-3, Eickert 1-4, Tyler Schwenke 0-2, Caleb Sibley 0-1, Pistorese 1-2.

Libby (5-11, 2-0) - Herbig 2-4, Bertelsen 0-2, Hendrickson 0-2, Schad 0-2, Peltier 0-3, Benefield 1-3, Stapley 1-2, Cannon 0-3, Morningstar 0-2.

2B-Pistorese; RBIs-Matulveich; Herbig (2), Hendrickson, Stapley.