O'Connell lifts Lakers over Twins
<p>Glacier Twins players celebrate at home plate after Chris King (center) hit a home run in the first inning against the Kalispell Lakers at Memorial Field in Whitefish Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Twins second baseman Kyler Blades turns a double play to end the top of the third inning against the Kalispell Lakers at home Wednesday night.</p>
<p>A passed ball and a wild throw back to home allowed Kalispell's Dominic Eickert (center) to score from second base in the top of the second inning Wednesday night at Memorial Field.</p>
WHITEFISH - The Kalispell Lakers outlasted the Glacier Twins 15-10 in an offensive marathon that lasted nearly four hours Wednesday night at the Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament.
Kalispell's Michael O'Connell put an exclamation point on the win with a solo home run in the ninth inning to go with a two-run homer he belted over the center field fence in the fifth.
O'Connell also got the win after being called to the mound to relieve Louis Freudenberg in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Lakers' 12 hits included three from center fielder Joe Pistorese, who was 3 for 6 with a single, double and a triple.
Dillon Eaves was 2 for 4 while Dominic Eickert went 2 for 5.
In a contest that featured several lead changes, the Lakers took control of the game in the top of the eighth inning after being down 10-9.
Kalispell batted through the order and scored five runs behind four walks, two Glacier errors, a double by Pistorese and a sacrifice fly by Dillon Matteson to take the lead at 14-10.
It was Glacier that took an early lead, jumping ahead 4-0 after the top half of the first inning after Kyler Blades scored on a wild pitch, back-to-back singles by Cody Elek and Geoff Streeter, and a two-run home run by center fielder Chris King.
Glacier starter Zach Maassen got into trouble in the top of the second and the Lakers bounced back with a single by Eaves and then two more by Sidney Schenk and Eickert, both of whom scored on a wild pitch to lock the game at 4-4.
The Twins scored once in the bottom of the second to retake the lead 5-4, but in the end Kalispell was too much for Glacier. The Lakers scored two in the fifth and three in the seventh before the explosive five-run eighth inning cemented the win.
Five hitters had two hits for Glacier, including Jeremy Nielson (2 for 4), Jack Cronin (2 for 5), Blades (2 for 4), Streeter (2 for 5) and King (2 for 3).
A complete box score will appear in Friday's Daily Inter Lake.
In Wednesday's other tournament action, it was Chino Reds 10, Belgrade Bandits 1, and Lethbridge Spitz Elks 7, Apple Valley Packers 6.
See B3 for today's tournament schedule.