Mavs humble Lakers

Deep home runs, diving catches, hard hits up and down the batting order - the Mavs can do it all.

Especially when they have a chip on their shoulder.

The Class AA Missoula Mavericks improved to 35-2 overall and avenged a rare loss by sweeping the Kalispell Lakers 18-2 and 2-1 in an American Legion baseball doubleheader at Griffin Field on Tuesday.

The Mavs, off to their best start in 20 years under head coach Brent Hathaway, had a 23-game win streak snapped by Mario Venturini and the Lakeshow last Thursday in their Western AA conference opener in Missoula. Kalispell won 7-6.

Five days later, the loss still stung.

"Yeah, yeah it does still bug them," Hathaway said of the defeat to the Lakers. "They were really focused to get back with Kalispell. That game didn't sit with them really well up in Missoula."

The way it seemed on Tuesday, the Mavericks remembered with every swing. Ben Roberts started off with a leadoff single in a rematch against Venturini. Next up, Brody Miller blasted a 2-run homer to the deepest part of the field. And from there the offense went ablaze. Missoula had 16 hits overall and scored six runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings.

"We've seen if frequently with this group, when they get hot and they start swinging the bats, watch out," Hathaway said of the Mavs, who hiked their conference record to 4-1.

The bottom of Missoula's order went 8 for 12 with 10 RBIs, led by Sam Sopko, who belted a 3-run homer in the fourth and then a 2-run double in the fifth.

Offense wasn't the only reason Missoula looked like the team to beat this season. Among an error-less defense, Roberts made an impressive diving catch in center field that only continued the Maverick showcase.

"They're 35-2 for a reason," Kalispell Lakers coach Ryan Malmin said. "They came out and hit the ball well and we came out flat, and once you dig yourself a little bit of a hole it's tough to crawl out, especially against a team as offensively potent as those guys."

Mat O'Brien and Marshall Boyland both had two hits apiece and Boyland added an RBI for the shellshocked Lakers, who committed mental mistakes and four errors throughout the five-inning opener that ended due to the 10-run mercy rule. Dominic Eickert added an RBI for Kalispell (21-8, 5-2).

In the nightcap, the Lakers settled down and settled in behind starter Alex Stanley. The Mavs tried to spark another offensive fire with two hits and one run in the first. But Stanley cooled off the Mavs after that. Missoula managed only one other hit until the sixth inning, when Roberts and Miller combined for a single and a double, respectively, that scored the deciding run.

"It was good to see the kids bounce back and respond in game two," Malmin said. "We talked about that in between games, how are you going to respond after a game like that? And the kids for the most part did a great job. It was just unfortunate that we came

out on the losing end."

Michael O'Connell, who was impassable at shortstop defensively, ripped a deep shot to right-center that turned into a stand-up triple in the fourth and Zach Brosten followed with an RBI double to tie the game at 1-apiece.

"I don't know if we just took it for granted but credit Kalispell, they played some really good defense and they turned several double plays on some sharply hit balls," Hathaway said of the nightcap. "It was just a really well played ballgame."

"That's the mark of a good team," Malmin said of the Lakers' strong composure after the rough opening loss. "I kind of think that that shows we have the potential to be a great team as well, but we've got to win close games like this."

Kalispell heads to Libby on Thursday for a 5 p.m. game with the Class A Loggers.

Game 1

Missoula 18, Kalispell 2

Missoula 60066x x - 18 16 0

Kalispell 010 01x x - 2 6 4

Brent Daugherty and Sean Dwyer. Mario Venturini, Parker Motley (4), Shane Johnson (5) and Zach Broston. W - Daugherty (3 strikeouts, 0 walks); L - Venturini (4 strikeouts, 2 walks).

MAVERICKS - Ben Roberts 1-2, Brody Miller 4-5, Kendal Maier 1-4, Sean Dwyer 2-3, Steven DeYoung 0-3, Riley King 0-2, Sam Sopko 2-3, Robby King 3-4, Matt McMann 3-4.

2B - McMann 2; HR - Miller, Sopko; RBI - Sopko 5, McMann 3, Rob. King 2, Miller 2, Roberts.

LAKERS - Dean Stimpson 0-3, Dillon Matteson 0-2, Michael O'Connell 0-2, Zach Brosten 1-2, Alex Stanley 0-2, Mat O'Brien 2-2, Marshall Boyland 2-2, Cody Dopps 0-2, Dominic Eickert 1-2.

2B - O'Brien, Boyland; RBI - Boyland, Eickert.

Game 2

Missoula 2, Kalispell 1

Missoula 100 001 0 - 2 5 1

Kalispell 000 100 0 - 1 6 0

Shawn Griffith and Sean Swyer. Alex Stanley and Zach Brosten. W - Griffith (3 strikeouts, 1 walk); L - Stanley (3 strikeouts, 1 walk).

MAVERICKS - Ben Roberts 1-3, Brody Miller 3-3, Kendal Maier 0-3, Dwyer 1-3, Steven DeYoung 0-1, Sam Sopko 0-3, Robby King 0-2, Matt McMann 0-2.

2B - Miller; RBI - Miller, Dwyer.

LAKERS - Dean Stimpson 2-3, Dillon Matteson 0-3, Michael O'Connell 1-3, Brosten 2-3, Marshall Boyland 0-3, Mat O'Brien 1-2, Stanley 0-3, Cody Dopps 0-3, Dominic Eickert 0-2.

2B - Brosten; 3B - O'Connell; RBI - Brosten.