Pistorese throws perfect game
Kalispell Laker pitcher Joe Pistorese fires a pitch against the Glacier Twins on Tuesday. Pistorese struck out 14 batters and allowed no hits or walks through nine innings.
Glacier's Wade Martinson reaches off the bag to make a catch during the Twins game with the Kalispell Lakers on Tuesday.
WHITEFISH - After 27 batters and nine innings pitched, Joe Pistorese was perfect.
The 17-year-old Kalispell Lakers lefthander struck out 14 Glacier batters, including the final four, and earned a perfect game on Tuesday night against the Twins in AA American Legion baseball.
Pistorese, who threw a no-hitter on May 15 last season, completed the Western conference opener with no hits and no walks allowed and became the first Laker in at least five years to accomplish the ultimate pitching feat.
The Lakers (13-5 overall) won the game 8-0.
"You try not to think about it when you're out there. I was just trying to throw strikes," Pistorese said. "Usually walks are my biggest problem. Tonight my pitches were kept down and our defense really helped out. I used them a lot tonight."
After he struck out the side to end the game, Pistorese basked in the celebration among teammates and coaches before heading over for a hug from his father, Brent, who hardly ever misses a Lakers pitch and does the book for every Kalispell home game.
Pistorese hiked his record to 4-1 and dropped his ERA below two for the season. His season strikeout total reached 62 through 31 2/3 innings.
"I've always known it was going to happen one of these times," said Lakers catcher Zach Brosten, who had a 2-run homer in the first to cap a 4-run inning. "We didn't talk much (during the game) and everybody just kind of left him alone."
Brosten finished with two hits and three RBIs. Dillon Matteson went 3 for 5 with a triple and an RBI and Mike O'Connell and Mat O'Brien both added RBI singles for the Lakers, who jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings.
The Lakers defense protected Pistorese's historic night with a solid showing and an error-free performance.
"Tonight, the kids made the plays," head coach Ryan Malmin said. "We were in the right place at the right time and everything had to click in order to make it all possible."
And as far as Pistorese's performance on the mound ...
"What do you do? You just sit back and watch," Malmin said.
The Lakers host Mission Valley on Saturday in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
Kalispell 420 100 100 - 8 10 0
Whitefish 000 000 000 - 0 0 3
Joe Pistorese and Zach Brosten. Trevor Miller, Cody Hill (2) and Cody Elek. W - Pistorese (4-1, 14 strikeouts, zero walks); L - Miller
KALISPELL - Dean Stimpson 1-5, Dillon Matteson 3-5, Michael O'Connell 1-2, Zach Brosten 2-4, Pistorese 1-5, Mat O'Brien 1-5, Marshall Boyland 1-5, Cody Dopps 0-4, Dominic Eickert 0-3.
3B - Matteson; HR - Brosten; RBI - Brosten (3), Matteson, O'Connell, O'Brien.
WHITEFISH - Zach Maassen 0-3, Wade Martinson 0-3, Cody Elek 0-3, Dustin VonFeldt 0-3, Geoff Streeter 0-3, Kyle Knox 0-2, Carl Talsma 0-1, Jeremy Nielsen 0-3, Kyle Yogodzinski 0-2, Kris Gross 0-1, Kyler Blades 0-3.