Calgary snaps Glacier streak

WHITEFISH - Calgary brought the streaking Glacier Twins back to reality on Friday evening at the 25th Annual Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament.

The Blues, who were winless in three tournament games, scored nine runs on 11 hits in the final three innings for a 9-1 baseball victory, halting Glacier's inspired and surprising 3-game winning streak at Memorial Field.

Glacier took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and had the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning with no outs. But Calgary pitcher Stewart Barcelo settled down, struck out two straight batters and forced a ground out to end the inning.

Calgary, which was held hitless through four innings, tagged Twins starter Adam Pisk for five hits in the top of the fifth and scored four runs. Glacier never recovered.

"That's just the way baseball goes," Twins coach Bill Sapa said.

"That was the turning point of the game."

Barcelo wound up going the distance and held the Twins to two hits.

"I just left him alone," Calgary manager Darwin Kraft said of Barcelo in the fourth inning.

"He pitched himself out of it. He only threw 80 pitches in seven innings."

Kraft said holding Glacier scoreless in the fourth inning changed the outcome of the game.

"That just lifts everybody," Kraft.

"They score two, three runs on us and then it's a different ballgame.

"It gave us some momentum," Kraft added.

Colin Toews, who sparked the Blues rally in the fifth with a double, went 2-for-4, as did Travis Sormaz.

Sormaz and Eric Ranson, 1-for-3, both had two RBIs for Calgary.

Glacier's Willie Roche opened the game with a bloop single to right, and Cody Elek doubled in the fourth inning for the team's final hit.

"Give Calgary credit," Sapa said.

"They hit the ball. Their pitcher kept us off-balance, threw strikes."

Glacier was solid in the field again, committing just one error.

Twins second baseman Kyler Blades made a major league catch in the third inning. Blades chased down an Eric Ranson blooper into right field, making an over the shoulder basket catch.

Calgary center fielder Erich Fitzsimmons also displayed a big-league glove in the seventh inning when he made a sliding grab on a fast dropping liner by Kyle Knox.

Glacier wraps up the regular portion of the tournament today versus the Kalispell Lakers at 11:45 a.m. The championship round begins at 2:30 p.m. The title game is set for 8 p.m.

Calgary 000 040 5 - 9 11 2

Glacier 100 000 0 - 1 2 1

Stewart Barcelo and Konrad Litke; Adam Pisk, Kyle Knox (7) and Cody Elek. W - Barcelo. L - Pisk.

CALGARY BLUES - Tyler Warner 1-2, Quinn Johnsen 0-3, Russell Marjerrison 1-1, Litke 1-4, Colin Toews 2-4, Travis Sormaz 2-4, Nick Savoy 1-3, C.J. Hendrickson 1-2, Erich Fitzsimmons 1-1, Eric Ranson 1-3, Tynan Flegg 0-3.

GLACIER TWINS - Willie Roche 1-4, Kyler Blades 0-2, Elek 1-2, Chris King 0-2, Jeremy Nielsen 0-2, Pisk 0-3, Trevor Miller 0-3, Zack Maassen 0-3, Devyn Rocker 0-1, Kyle Knox 0-1.

2B-Toews, Hendrickson, Ranson, Marjerrison; Elek; RBIs-Warner, Litke, Toews, Sormaz (2), Marjerrison, Ranson (2).

Friday's Games

Spokane Blue Devils 4, Kalispell Lakers 0

Spokane Blue Devils 4, Pullman Patriots 2

Lethbridge Elks 6, Calgary Blues 1

Calgary Blues 9, Glacier Twins 1

Today

Pool Play

9 a.m. - Pullman Patriots vs. Calgary Blues

11:45 a.m. - Glacier Twins vs. Kalispell Lakers

Championship Round

2:30 p.m. - Third vs. Third

5:15 p.m. - Second vs. Second

8 p.m. - First vs. First