Packers rally by Lakers
Kalispell Lakers Marshall Boyland (14) slides safely home before Apple Valley Packers pitcher Reed Jaspers can tag him out during Thursday’s game in Whitefish at the 26th annual Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament. Boyland’s run put Kalispell on top 6-3.
Kalispell Lakers second baseman Dean Stimpson fields the ball during Thursday’s game with the Apple Valley Packers at Memorial Field in Whitefish.
WHITEFISH - The Kalispell Lakers had their shot at game-winning heroics, but so did the Apple Valley Packers and they made the most of theirs.
In the top of the 11th inning, Apple Valley's hard-swinging right fielder Cal Campbell crushed a two-two pitch into the center field stands and the Packers went on to complete an action-packed come-from-behind victory, 8-6 over the Lakers at the 26th annual Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament on Thursday in American Legion baseball.
The Packers trailed 6-3 in the fifth inning but cut the lead to one by the seventh, when Reed Jaspers tied the game at 6-all on a sacrifice fly. Apple Valley waited four extra-innings later before Campbell's 2-run homer bookended just over three hours of play.
"That was a great baseball game," Apple Valley head coach and former Glacier Twins skipper Ryan Hadfield said. "Their guy did a good job just keeping us a little off balance, but in the end that two-strike home run by Campbell was huge."
The Lakers (27-18 overall) had their own chance of coming up big and winning their first game at the tournament this week, but just couldn't muster it. Kalispell loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth but the Apple Valley defense sniffed out a squeeze play and got the force out at home plate. The next at-bat ended in crowd-rousing fashion as pitcher Luke Dilly delivered a full-count strikeout to retire the side.
"That's a pressure cooker for a pitcher, it doesn't get any worse than that," Hadfield said. "Luke Dilly, he did a great job of throwing the ball over the plate, that was a clutch performance."
Kalispell wouldn't get a second chance as close as that again.
"You always want to emphasize the finish, you always want kids to have the mentality to come through in the pressure situations, that's what athletics are about and that's what makes athletics fun," Lakers head coach Ryan Malmin said. "We need to get that on a consistent basis."
Dean Stimpson went 3 for 5 with an RBI, Joe Pistorese had two hits and an RBI and starter Alex Stanley provided a quality start on the mound for Kalispell, allowing only five hits and three runs in five innings of work. Dominic Eickert had a triple for Kalispell.
Zach Brosten led off with a double in the second inning and Mat O'Brien knocked him in with a sacrifice fly to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead.
Kalispell had its most well-rounded game of the past few days up until the later innings, when five errors added up and the bats cooled off.
"You can give Apple Valley credit for making plays," Malmin said. "We kind of shot ourselves in the foot with defensive mistakes that we made early on in the game to get into extra innings. But give them credit for battling back."
Kalispell continues today against a familiar and important team, Western AA foe Lethbridge. The two teams, who will resume conference play next week, face off at 2 p.m. at Memorial Field.
"Bottom line is this doesn't mean a whole heckuva lot at this point," Malmin said of the loss on Thursday. "We need to have short memory and get ourselves ready for the final week of conference."
Apple Valley 001 112 100 02 - 8 13 0
Kalispell 013 020 000 00 - 6 8 5
Reed Jaspers, Luke Dilly (7), Cole Matheisen (10) and TJ Gilman and Zach Chiles (7). Alex Stanley, Mario Venturini (6), Mat O'Brien (11) and Zach Brosten. W - Matheison; L - Venturini.
APPLE VALLEY - Jaspers 4-5, Taylor Isadore 0-6, Ian Sagdol 2-4, Jett Markel 0-4, Evan Parten 1-2, Cal Campbell 1-4, Kyle Dockins 2-3, Dilly 1-6, Matheisen 1-6, Gilman 2-3, Chris Lee 0-1, Chiles 0-2.
2B - Sagdol, Markel; HR - Campbell; RBI - Campbell (3), Jaspers, Dilly, Gilman.
KALISPELL - Dean Stimpson 3-5, Marshall Boyland 0-4, Michael O'Connell 1-4, Joe Pistorese 2-5, Brosten 1-5, Dillon Matteson 0-4, O'Brien 0-3, Stanley 0-2, Venturini 1-2, Greg Seaman 0-1, Dominic Eickert 1-5.
2B - Brosten; 3B - Eickert; RBI - Stimpson, Pistorese, O'Brien.
Sapa-Johnsrud Tournament
Thursday's other scores
Lethbridge Spitz Elks 9, Pullman Patriots 7
Chino Red 11, Gonzaga Prep 0
Today
11 a.m. - Gonzaga Prep vs. Pullman; 2 p.m. - Kalispell vs. Lethbridge; 5 p.m. - Glacier vs. Apple Valley; 8 p.m. - Coach-Pitch All Star Game