Mavericks sweep Lakers, stay in first place
The Daily Inter Lake
MISSOULA - The Kalispell Lakers started off strong in both games of their conference baseball doubleheader with the Missoula Mavericks.
But in both games, the Mavericks finished stronger.
The Mavericks dropped the Lakers 4-3 and 10-8 on Thursday to complete an American Legion season sweep of Kalispell and remain in first place in Western AA.
In the opener, Pat Hergesheimer hit a homer and drove in two runs as Kalispell jumped ahead 3-0 early. But in the bottom of the seventh, Missoula surged back and scored all four of its runs to win in walk-off fashion.
In the nightcap, Kalispell piled on eight runs before squandering an 8-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth when Missoula scored nine runs.
Joe Pistorese went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and Hergesheimer added another RBI in the second game for Kalispell (33-21 overall, 14-8 conference).
The Lakers drop to third place after the Lethbridge Elks (15-7) split with the Great Falls Stallions on Thursday to break a second-place tie with Kalispell. The top four Western teams advance to the state tourney in Miles City starting July 24.
The Lakers finish the regular season on Sunday against fourth-place Medicine Hat (13-7) in a home doubleheader.
Missoula Mavericks 4, Kalispell Lakers 3
Kalispell 012 000 0 - 3 3 2
Missoula 000 000 4 - 4 9 1
Joe Pistorese, Zane Ridings (7) and Zach Brosten. Jake Schilling, Andrew Sopko (5) and Sean Dwyer. W - Sopko (4-1). L - Ridings (4-1).
KALISPELL - Dean Stimpson 0-1, Ben Sansaver 1-2, Mike O'Connell 0-3, Pat Hergesheimer 1-3, Brosten 0-3, Ridings 1-3, Toby Liechti 0-2, Mat O'Brien 0-2, Bryant Eickart 0-2
MISSOULA - Brody Miller 1-3, Robby King 2-4, Kendal Maier 2-4, Dwyer 0-2, Steven DeYoung 2-2, Sam Sopko 1-4, Drew Lytle 0-3, Matt McMann 1-3, Andrew Bewley 0-3.
2B - King. 3B - Miller, DeYoung. HR - Hergesheimer, Maier. RBIs - Hergesheimer 2, Eickert, Maier 2, Sopko.
Missoula Mavericks10, Kalispell Lakers 8
Kalispell 511 100 0 - 8 10 2
Missoula 000 109 x - 10 12 2
Mario Venturini, Sansaver (1), O'Connell (6), O'Brien (6) and Greg Seaman. Josh Seeberger, A. Sopko (1), Shawn Griffith (4), Lytle (5) and Dwyer. W - Lytle (7-2). L - O'Connell (2-4).
KALISPELL - Stimpson 0-3, Sansaver 0-4, O'Connell 1-2, Hergesheimer 1-2, Brosten 0-0, O'Brien 0-2, Ridings 2-4, Liechti 2-4, Pistorese 4-4, Seaman 0-3.
MISSOULA - Miller 1-3, King 4-4, Maier 1-2, Dwyer 1-4, DeYoung 2-4, S. Sopko 0-1, Lytle 2-3, McMann 0-2, Bewley 1-3.
2B - O'Connell, Ridings, Pistorese, King, Dwyer, DeYoung, Lytle. RBIs - O'Connell, Hergesheimer, Brosten, Ridings, Pistorese 3, King, Maier 2, Dwyer, S. Sopko 2, McMann.