Lakers trip Blue Devils; end tourney on high note
Kalispell Lakers Ben Sansaver eyes third base while Glacier Twins third baseman Devyn Rocker waits for the ball to reach his glove. Sansaver was safe on the play, eventually advancing home to tie the game en route to the Lakers 6-3 win over the Twins Saturday afternoon. Nate Chute/Daily Inter Lake
The Daily Inter Lake
WHITEFISH - The Lakers finished the 25th Annual Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament on a high note, topping the Spokane Blue Devils 8-6 at Memorial Park on Saturday.
Ben Sansaver came in for relief and got the win as Kalispell held off Spokane in the consolation final to finish 4-2 for the three-day tourney.
Earlier in the day, starter Mario Venturini went the distance on the mound and earned the victory as Kalispell downed the host Glacier Twins 6-3. Despite the win, the Lakers were unable to play in the night's championship game after the Twins trumped them in walks allowed to earn a bid for first place.
Kalispell (32-18 overall, 13-5 in league) heads back into league play on Tuesday when they take on the Sapa-Johnsrud champions and current second-place holder in Western AA, Lethbridge (12-4), in a home doubleheader.
After that, the Lakers will head to Missoula for a Thursday doubleheader with the current first-place Mavericks (14-4), who have been on a slide as of late.
The state tournament starts July 24 in Miles City.
Kalispell 6, Glacier 3
Glacier 020 010 0 - 3 6 2
Kalispell 000 123 0 - 6 8 1
Trevor Miller, Kyle Knox (6) and Cody Elek. Mario Venturini and Greg Seaman and Zach Brosten (6). WP - Venturini; LP - Miller.
Glacier - Willie Roche 0-3, Kyler Blades 1-2, Elek 2-4, Chris King 1-3, Jeremy Nielsen 1-3, Adam Pisk 1-3, Zach Maassen 0-3, Miller 0-3, Knox 0-0, Devyn Rocker 0-2.
2B - Pisk; RBI - Pisk 2, Nielsen
Kalispell - Blaine Matulevich 1-4, Ben Sansaver 2-4, Michael O'Connell 3-4, Pat Hergesheimer 0-2, Zane Ridings 0-3, Mat O'Brien 0-3, Toby Liechti 1-2, Joe Pistorese 0-2, Seaman 0-2, Brosten 1-1.
2B - O'Connell; RBI - Sansaver 3, Matulevich, O'Connell.
Kalispell 8, Spokane 6
Spokane 201 001 2 - 6 10 1
Kalispell 010 160 0 - 8 12 4
Kasey Sargent, Ben Krupla (6) and Logan Hennessy. Joe Pistorese, Ben Sansaver (4) and Michael O'Connell and Zach Brosten (4). WP - Sansaver; LP - Sargent.
Spokane - Jake Sullivan 0-1, Drew Ableman 1-2, Jake Graham 1-3, Thomas Townsend 0-1, Taylor Hustad 1-3, Brenden Herzer 0-0, Nick Pacheco 1-2, Drve Heinen 2-3, Logan Hennessy 2-3, Ben Krupla 0-3, Matt Walker 0-3, Tyler Pfeffer 1-1, Zack Letsch 1-1.
2B - Heinen, Pfeffer; RBI - Heinen 2, Pfeffer, Hustad, Graham.
Kalispell - Dean Stimpson 1-4, Sansaver 1-3, O'Connell 2-4, Hergesheimer 1-1, Brosten 2-2, Mat O'Brien 0-0, Zane Ridings 1-3, Pistorese 1-2, Liechti 1-2, Blaine Matulevich 1-3, Bryant Eickert 1-3.
3B - Hergesheimer; 2B - Stimpson, Sansaver; RBI - Pistorese 2, Ridings, Matulevich, Stimpson, O'Connell.