Mission Valley pulls out two wins over Libby
The Daily Inter Lake
POLSON - The Mission Valley Mariners and the Libby Loggers aren't league rivals, but they played like they were Wednesday night.
The Mariners swept a nonconference American Legion baseball doubleheader, prevailing 3-1 in the opener and 7-6 in the nightcap.
Mission Valley (20-8 overall) hosts the Class AA Glacier Twins at 5 p.m. today in a nonconference makeup game. Libby plays host to the eight-team Big Bucks Tournament this weekend, beginning Friday.
Mariners 3, Loggers 1
The Loggers managed one run in the second inning, but Eric Locke shut them down the rest of the way, finishing with nine strikeouts and two walks.
The Mariners tied the game in the fifth inning before pulling ahead with two runs in the sixth.
Kyle Bagnell went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI to pace Mission Valley.
Nate Peltier went 2-for-2 for Libby while pitching six strong innings.
Libby 010 000 0 - 1 5 1
Mission Valley 000 012 x - 3 6 1
Nate Peltier and Matt Schad. Eric Locke and John Rausch. W - Locke (4-0). L - Peltier.
LIBBY - Chris Herbig 0-3, Steve Bertelsen 0-3, Rory Hendrickson 1-3, Schad 0-2, Peltier 2-2, Ryan Stapley 1-3, Derek Benefield 0-1, Colton Cannon 0-3, Dustin Morningstar 1-2.
MISSION VALLEY (19-8) - J. Rausch 0-2, Locke 1-3, Tim Rausch 0-2, Tyler Linse 1-2, Craig Bagnell 1-2, Nick Fell 1-3, Beau Nordberg 1-2, Brandon Roy 0-1, Kyle Bagnell 2-3, Kyle Brown 0-3.
2B - Stapley; K. Bagnell. RBIs - Locke, Fell, K. Bagnell.
Mariners 7, Loggers 6
Libby scored four runs in the seventh inning to storm back from a 6-2 deficit, but Mission Valley prevented extra innings by scoring in the bottom of the frame.
Tyler Linse paced the Mariners, going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
Chris Herbig and Ryan Stapley had two-hit games for Libby.
Libby 010 100 4 - 6 7 3
Mission Valley 302 100 1 - 7 6 4
Colton Cannon, Rory Hendrickson (5), Derek Benefield (7) and Matt Schad, Cannon (7). Kyle Bagnell, Craig Bagnell (5), Brandon Roy (7) and Tim Rausch.
LIBBY - Chris Herbig 2-4, Steve Bertelsen 0-4, Rory Hendrickson 1-4, Schad 0-2, Kelly May 0-0, Nate Peltier 0-3, Ryan Stapley 2-3, Benefield 0-4, Cannon 1-2, Royce Hendrickson 0-2, Mitch Cotton 1-1.
MISSION VALLEY (20-8) - John Rausch 1-2, Eric Locke 1-4, T. Rausch 0-2, Tyler Linse 2-4, C. Bagnell 1-2, Nick Fell 0-2, Chris Alfiero 0-1, Beau Nordberg 1-1, Austin Moran 0-1, Josh Reed 0-1, Kyle Brown 0-3.
2B - Rory Hendrickson, Stapley; Linse. RBIs - Rory Hendrickson 2, Cannon; Linse 3, J. Rausch, T. Rausch, C. Bagnell.