Walk-off victory for Lakers
Kalispell Lakers AA player Dean Stimpson slides safely into second base in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Sherwood Park during the Canadian Days Tournament at Griffin Field on Saturday. (Allison Money/Daily Inter Lake)
The Sherwood Park catcher looks away as Kalispell Lakers AA player Mario Venturini (5) receives congratulations from his teammates after hitting a home run in the bottom of the second inning during the Canadian Days Baseball Tournament at Griffin Field Saturday afternoon.(Allison Money/Daily Inter Lake)'
The Daily Inter Lake
Excitement keeps following the Kalispell Lakers baseball team.
Down two runs with the bases loaded against the Mission Valley Mariners on Saturday night, Kalispell's Ben Sansaver stepped up to bat in the last chance inning.
The first pitch wasn't it, but the second one, that got knocked up the middle so hard even the baserunners' were stunned for a second. But after a heart-pumping moment, Blaine Matulevich and Dean Stimpson rounded the bases and tied the ball game as Sansaver slid smiling into second base.
After that, the Lakers were in everyone's heads, including the Mariners' pitching, who walked in Mat O'Brien for the winning-run, making it 4-3 to cap another victorious night for the AA Lakers at the Canadian Days Tournament at Griffin Field.
"That's just a situation you want to be in, when you get to the plate, the bases loaded," Sansaver said. "He threw me a
curveball and I didn't exactly like the pitch, and then I knew he was gonna come back at me with a fastball. So I decided I'd jump on it and it worked out in my favor."
Sansaver finished the game 2-for-4 while Toby Liechti added a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh that started the rally.
"Everybody steps up on different nights, so it was a great overall team effort," Sansaver said.
Kalispell's Mario Venturini kept his composure from the mound throughout despite giving up an early lead. Venturini, who had a home run earlier in the day in the Lakers 7-5 win over the Sherwood Park A's, struck out seven and walked five down the stretch against Mission Valley.
Mission's Tim Rausch went 2-for-3 and got things started for the Mariners with a double in the first inning that led to a run after Cole McArther knocked him in with his own double.
The Mariners scored again in the fifth inning after Rausch once again battered a pitch to left-field that one-hopped the fence. Rausch landed at third and was quickly hit in by Derek Rathe's single.
Kyle Bagnell worked six strong innings for Mission Valley.
"Bagnell did a great job for them all night, very good perfomance from him on the hill," Lakers coach Ryan Malmin said.
The lefty fanned six and held the Lakers (9-3) to only one hit before coming out in the bottom of the seventh.
That's when the Lakers brought the excitement.
Matulevich and O'Brien drew back-to-back walks before Sansaver came to bat. Earlier in the day, Sansaver went 3-for-4 and pitched for the victory against Sherwood Park.
"It was great to see the kids come back and battle," Malmin said. "The kids followed through and finished for us and that's what it's all about, finishing."
That makes it five straight wins for the Lakers and six out of seven.
Today is the final day of the Canadian Days Tournament with the Lakers facing the Glacier Twins at 3 p.m. in the final of three games at Griffin Field.
Notes: The Mariners played back-to-back games that were decided by one run both times. Before facing the Lakers, Mission Valley fell to the Edmonton Cardinals 5-4.
Mission Valley 101 010 0 - 3 6 2
Kalispell 000 100 3 - 4 3 2
Kyle Bagnell, Xavier Morigeau (6), Josh Rustad (6) and Riley Grogan; Mario Venturini and Zach Brosten.
WP - Venturini; LP - Morigeau.
MARINERS - Willy Wallace 0-4, Tyler Linse 0-4, Tim Rausch 2-3, Derek Rathe 1-1, Cole McArther 1-3, Spencer Trawick 0-1, Jay Sorrell 0-1, Westyn Kiehn 0-2, Riley Grogan 0-1, Corey Hardy 2-3.
3B - Rausch; 2B - Rausch; RBI - Rathe, McArther.
LAKERS - Mat O'Brien 0-2, Ben Sansaver 2-4, Michael O'Connell 0-3, Pat Hergesheimer 0-1, Zach Brosten 0-3, Bryce Stacy 0-2, Toby Liechti 1-3, Dean Stimpson 0-0, Joe Pistorese 0-3, Blaine Matulevich 0-1.
3B - Sansaver; 2B - Liechti; RBI - Sansaver (2).
Lakers 7, Athletics 5
Sherwood 200 030 0 - 5 7 2
Kalispell 113 110 x - 7 11 1
WP - Sansaver; S - O'Brien; LP - Curtis
LAKERS - Dean Stimpson 1-4, Ben Sansaver 3-4, Michael O'Connell 2-4, Pat Hergesheimer 0-4, Zach Brosten 1-3, Mat O'Brien 1-3, Bryce Stacy 1-3, Mario Venturini 1-3, Dominic Eickert 1-3.
RBI - Venturini (2), Sansaver, O'Connell, Hergesheimer, Stacy, Brosten
ATHLETICS - Padon Brenholen 1-3, Brett McElroy 0-3, Spencer Imeson 2-4, Adam Beller 1-3, TJ Bennett 1-3, Jordan Penner 1-3, Levi Medwid 1-3, Adam Kuntz 0-3, Bryan McDonald 0-2.
RBI - Imeson, Beller,
Twins 10, Cardinals 8
The Glacier Twins used a two-out rally in the top of the third inning to score seven runs and held off Edmonton.
Glacier 017 11 - 10 6 NA
Edmonton 422 00 - 8 11 6
WP - Wade Martinson; LP - Nick Smiley.
TWINS - Jeremy Nielsen 0-2, Kyler Blades 0-1, Kyle Knox 2-3, Kyle Yogadine 0-2, Chris King 2-3, Adam Pisk 0-1, Brett Prescott 0-2, Cody Elek 0-2, K. Gross 2-3.
RBI - Gross (3), Knox (2), Blaes, King, Pisk, Prescott.
CARDINALS - Tommy Muhlenthaler 3-4, Jacob Spinks 1-1, JJ Grimm 0-4, Cameron Leflar 2-2, Jeremy Harasymchuk 0-1, Andrew Mirasly 2-3, Sam Siddall 1-2, Matty McGee 1-2, Kevin Czarnecki 1-2.
HR - Muhlenthaler; RBI - Spinks (2), Muhlenthaler, Leflar, McGee.
Athletics 10, Twins 9
Sherwood 102 040 21 - 10 NA NA
Glacier 023 040 00 - 9 6 NA
ATHLETICS - Padon Brenholen 2-3, Brett McElroy 1-3, Spencer Imeson 4-5, TJ Bennett 1-3, Jordan Penner 1-2, Levi Medwid 0-3, David Paquette 0-4, Callen Kenyon 1-4.
RBI - Imeson (2), Kenyon.
GLACIER - Kyler Blades 0-4, Chris King 1-4, Jeremy Nielsen 0-5, Wade Martinson 1-4, Kyle Knox 1-2, Kyle Yogadine 1-3, Adam Pisk 1-3, Cody Elek 0-2, Trevor Miller 1-2.
A Game results
Archie Roe
Fort MacLeod Royal 17, Edmonton Cardinals 6
Kalispell Lakers 6 Glacier Twins 5
Cardinals 6, Twins 5
Lakers 5, Missoula Pioneers 4