Lakers split with Clackamas

The Kalispell Lakers continued to solidify themselves as an offensive powerhouse Saturday, capitalizing on 17 hits to top the Clackamas Cavaliers 14-9 in the first half of a nonconference American Legion Class AA doubleheader at Griffin Field.

The Lakers could have used some of that offensive production in the second game, which it dropped 8-4 to split the series with the traveling Oregon team.

"We're really happy with how we're hitting the ball," Kalispell coach Ryan Malmin said before later adding a qualifying statement - "For the most part."

Malmin said he'd like to see more timely hitting following a loss during which his team left eight runners stranded.

But no one could fault the timeliness of the Kalispell offense in the first game.

The Lakers busted out of the gate with a seven-run first inning that washed away the Cavaliers' 2-0 lead to begin the game.

Center-fielder Joe Pistorese drove in two of those runs with a bases-clearing double that scored Dillon Matteson and Dominic Eickert.

Dillon Eaves and Sidney Schenk followed Pistorese with back-to-back RBI singles to put the Lakers ahead 4-2.

Nate Bengston was next to strike paydirt, batting in two more runs and then scoring on a single by Matteson to give his team a healthy 7-2 advantage.

Kalispell scored three more times in the bottom of the third on the strength of a triple by Pistorese, an RBI single by Dillon Eaves, a wild pitch and a Clackamas error.

The 10-2 lead proved to be anything but safe, though, as the Cavaliers put forward a marathon offensive performance of their own in the top half of the third.

Clackamas batted through its lineup and to score six runs on four walks and four hits to make the game interesting once more at 10-8.

‘We gave them a lot of free passes that ended up amounting to quite a few runs," Malmin said.

But thanks in part to strong relief from Matt McLean and Louis Freudenburg, the Lakers allowed only one additional run in the game while scoring three in the fourth and one in the fifth to get the win.

It was Clackamas lighting up the scoreboard early in game two.

The Cavaliers scored six runs in the first two innings to give them all the offense they would need to better the Lakers.

Kalispell's runs were generated almost exclusively by homeruns. Catcher Cody Dopps hit a two-run blast in the second inning in route to a 2 for 4 day in the batter's box.

The Lakers wouldn't get another run until the bottom of the seventh when Sean O'Connell belted a leadoff homer over the left field fence to cut the deficit to 8-3.

After back-to-back singles by Pistorese and Dillon Eaves and a walk for Dopps, the Lakers had the bases loaded with no outs.

Pistorese scored on a fielder's choice to make it 8-4 with one out, but the Cavaliers then turned a double play to squash the rally.

"We came up and put runners on base with four or five hits," Malmin said. "The kids are competing to the end."

Kalispell plays the Glacier Twins Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Griffin Field in the last meeting of the season for the two teams.

Kalispell 14, Clackamas 9

Clackamas 206 010 0 9 9 4

Kalispell 730 310 x 14 17 0

Luke Ehli, Jarrod Switzer (3) and Cooper Mickelson; Alex Eaves, Matt McLean (3), Louis Freudenburg (6) and Cody Dopps.

CLACKAMAS - Aaron Ahlstrom 2-4, Mickelson 1-3, Jake Iverson 2-3, Skylar Schlunz 0-0, Nick Hays 1-3, Mitch Dickey 0-1, Cade Wilkins 1-3, Switzer 0-2, Taylor Stinson 1-1, Josh Devore 0-2, Garrett Myers 0-1, A.J. Peterson 1-3.

2B - Stinson; RBI - Ahlstrom (2), Iverson (3), Stinson (2).

KALISPELL - Dillon Matteson 2-4, Dominic Eickert 2-4, A. Eaves 0-2, McLean 2-2, Pistorese 2-4, Dillon Eaves 3-4, Schenck 2-4, Dopps 1-4, Scoob Decker 0-4, Nate Bengston 3-4.

3B - Pistorese; 2B - Pistorese, D. Eaves, Schenck, Dopps; RBI - D. Eaves (3), Pistorese (2), Bengston (2), Matteson, Dopps, Schenk.

Clackamas 8, Kalispell 4

Clackamas 240 011 0 8 10 1

Kalispell 020 000 2 4 10 2

D. Eaves, Schenck (2), Dopps (4), Pistorese (7) and Dopps, Kendrick Lee (4); Hays, Justin James (7) and Mickelson.

CLACKAMAS - Ahstrom 2-4, Hays 1-5, Mickelson 2-3, Iverson 0-1, Wilkins 2-3, Geoff Hoff 2-3, Austin Kelly 0-3, Dickey 0-1, Oliver Farnes 0-3, Peterson 0-1, Myers 1-2.

3B - Wilkins RBI - Wilkins (3), Ahlstrom, Hays, Hoff

KALISPELL - Matteson 2-3, D. Eaves 2-3, A. Eaves 2-4, Sean O'Connell 1-4, Pistorese 1-4, Dopps 1-2, Nick Gianelli 1-3, Eickert 0-4, Schenck 0-1, Lee 0-2.

HR - Dopps, O'Connell; 2B - Matteson; RBI - Dopps (2), O'Connell, A. Eaves.