Lakers lose two to Chargers

After being delayed for three hours before the start of a conference doubleheader against the Great Falls Chargers, the Kalispell Lakers AA were never able to keep momentum, dropping both games on Tuesday.

Kalispell led early in the first game against the Chargers, going up 3-1 after a sacrifice fly by Sean O’Connell hit in the last of two runs in the second inning. But the Laker bats went cold, mustering just two hits for the rest of the game, both off the bat of Charlie Obermiller, who finished 3 for 3 from the plate. 

Great Falls regained the lead in the fourth inning and added an insurance run in the seventh to win 5-3. 

“Dillon Eaves pitched a good game we just made some errors defensively that gave them some runs,” Lakers coach Ryan Malmin said. 

The nightcap wasn’t as close, with the Chargers manufacturing runs in five of the seven innings, getting 12 hits on the way to a 9-3 victory. 

Kalispell got close in the third, narrowing the score to 3-2, but allowed five runs over the next three innings. The Chargers outfielders were able to shut down any long hits for the Lakers, accounting for eight outs in the game.

“Their outfielders covered a lot of ground,” Malmin said. “They got to a lot of balls I thought would get down. Their pitchers pitched to contact and let them play defense.”

The Lakers, now 6-8 in conference and 22-16 overall, get a little rest after playing eight games in the last six days, not playing again until Saturday, in a conference road game at Missoula.

Chargers 5, Lakers 3

Great Falls2002001—570

Kalispell1200000—353

Tyler Pfennigs, Anthony Bonilla (7) and Justin Pfennigs. Dillon Eaves, Justin Wallace (7) and Kendrick Lee. W — Pfennigs. L — Eaves.

GREAT FALLS — Anthony Bonilla 0-3, Cayden Napierala 0-3, Scott Held 1-4, Tanner Watson 2-4, Destin Wassmann 1-4, Dalton Cook 2-4, Jayse McLean 0-2, Sam Wingerter 1-3, J. Pfennigs 0-2. 

2B — Held; RBI — Watson (2), Held, Wingerter.

KALISPELL — Lee 0-2, Dillon Matteson 0-3, Sean O’Connell 0-2, Eaves 1-4, Adam Frandsen 1-2, Cody Dopps 0-3, Charlie Obermiller 3-3, Nate Bengston 0-2, Jake Johnson 0-3.

RBI — Matteson, O’Connell, Eaves.

Chargers 9, Lakers 3

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Eric Baily, Tyson Patterson (6) and J. Pfennigs. Hank McLeod, Wallace (5), Cody Dopps (7) and Dopps and Lee (7). W — Baily. L — McLeod.

GREAT FALLS — Bonilla 2-5, Napierala 1-5, Held 3-3, Watson 0-3, Wassmann 1-5, Cook 1-3, McLean 1-4, Wingerter 2-3, J. Pfennigs 1-3.

2B — Held, McLean; RBI — McLean (3), Wassmann (2), Napierala, Held, Watson.

KALISPELL — Lee 1-3, Obermiller 0-4, O’Connell 2-4, Eaves 1-4, Frandsen 0-0, Matteson 0-1, Dopps 1-3, Bengston 2-4, Zach Personett 1-3, Johnson 0-3.

3B — O’Connell; RBI — Eaves, Dopps.