Bandits edge AA Twins
WHITEFISH - The opportunities were tantalizing for the AA Glacier Twins, but they could only nibble when they had chances to feast.
The Twins tallied nine hits but stranded eight baserunners Saturday night in a 6-4 loss to the Rocky Mountain Bandits at the A and AA Invitational Wood Bat Tournament at Memorial Park.
Eight of Glacier's starters had at least one hit, and the Twins went down in order just once.
"We had runners at second and third with no outs on one occasion and hit a couple balls hard, just right at guys," Twins coach Ryan Hadfield said.
"That one big hit definitely eluded us."
The Twins (7-5) made three errors after committing seven the previous night. One of them allowed two runs to score in Rocky Mountain's four-run second inning.
"The errors that we made were incredibly costly, and probably the difference in the game," Hadfield said.
"But I'm encouraged that we swung the wood pretty well."
Adam Pisk put Glacier on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the second. The Twins made it 4-3 in the fourth frame with RBI knocks by Cody Elek and Ryan Caron, but they left the bases loaded in the fifth inning and never led.
Glacier starter Zane Ridings used a big breaking ball to hold the Bandits of Cranbrook, British Columbia, to two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. Reliever Michael Hader retired the only batter he faced in the sixth inning before escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh with only one run scoring.
"(Ridings) threw really well," Hadfield said. "He threw a few more pitches than we wanted him to.
"Mike came in and really did a pretty good job - a couple unfortunate bounces to give up the one run."
Rocky Mountain (4-3) racked up 10 hits, but only one for extra bases - a double by shortstop Zach Johnson, who went 2-for-4. Catcher Tyler Durand led the Bandits with three hits and an RBI.
Ridings was the only Twin with two hits, while Pisk, Elek, Caron, Scott Yogodzinski, Bridger Beach, Dustin VonFeldt and Hader had once apiece. Caron's hit was a sharp double down the left-field line that scored Elek.
Beach and VonFeldt had two of Glacier's defensive gems. Playing catcher, Beach caught Rocky Mountain's Bryce Johnson trying to steal second for the second out of the fourth inning, and VonFeldt's sliding catch in right field robbed Josh Lowden of a hit to start the fifth.
The Bandits face the Libby Loggers and Trail Jays in pool play tomorrow, followed by Glacier versus Trail in the 8 p.m. nightcap. The tournament's championship round is Monday.
"I think we're very comparable talent-wise," Hadfield said of the Bandits. "They got this one from us.
"I wouldn't be too surprised if we see them again this weekend."
Rocky Mountain 040 010 1 - 6 10 1
Glacier 010 210 0 - 4 9 3
Derek Hunter, Jessie Thies (5) and Tyler Durand. Zane Ridings, Michael Hader (6) and Bridger Beach. W - Hunter. L - Ridings.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN (4-3) - Josh Lowden 0-3, Lee McCallum 1-3, Zach Johnson 2-4, Hunter 2-3, Durand 3-4, Aaron Reid 0-4, Riley Johnson 1-4, Bryce Johnson 1-4, Jordan Armstrong 0-1, Thies 0-0.
GLACIER (7-5) - Ryan Caron 1-4, Ridings 2-4, Scott Yogodzinski 1-3, Beach 1-4, Dustin VonFeldt 1-4, Wayde Martinson 0-4, Hader 1-3, Cody Elek 1-1, Adam Pisk 1-2.
RBIs - Lowden, Armstrong, Durand; Pisk, Caron, Elek, VonFeldt. 2B - Z. Johnson; Caron. SB - Ridings, Yogodzinski, Hader. SAC - Pisk.
A and AA Invitational
Wood Bat Tournament
At Memorial Park, Whitefish
Saturday's Scores
Kootenai Valley Rangers 4, Glacier Twins A 3
Kootenai Valley Rangers 10, Mission Valley Mariners B 0
Salmon River Savages 10, Mission Valley Mariners B 9
Trail Jays 3, Libby Loggers 2
Rocky Mountain Bandits 6, Glacier Twins AA 4
Today's Games
9 a.m. - Kootenai Valley Rangers vs. Salmon River Savages
11:45 a.m. - Glacier Twins A vs. Salmon River Savages
2:30 p.m. - Rocky Mountain Bandits vs. Libby Loggers
5:15 p.m. - Rocky Mountain Bandits vs. Trail Jays
8 p.m. - Glacier Twins AA vs. Trail Jays