Eaves gives Lakers split with Mavericks
<p> Kalispell Lakers third basemen Sean O’Connell makes a nice backhanded stop during the first game of Tuesday’s Western AA American Legion baseball doubleheader at Griffin Field with the Missoula Mavs.</p>
<p>Kalispell Lakers’ first basemen Dillon Eaves runs to first base to get the final out in the first inning during the opening game of a doubleheader with Missoula at Griffin Field on Tuesday.</p>
The Kalispell Lakers AA earned a split with first-place Missoula at Griffin Field on Tuesday, giving the Mavericks their first league loss of the season.
The Lakers had to wait to get the win. Down 2-0 in the third inning of the opener the teams had to come off the field for a rain delay and Kalispell wasn’t the same after the break. The Lakers lost their grip on routine throws because of the wet infield grass while giving up two runs on three errors in the top of the fourth inning. The fifth inning didn’t fair much better as Missoula scored six times to put the game out of reach, ending with a 11-2 win.
Kalispell regrouped before the nightcap and was able to grind out a 3-2 win behind great pitching from Dillon Eaves. Eaves threw a complete game, striking out seven batters and giving up just five hits.
The Lakers gave Eaves some support from the plate, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. The Mavericks made it a game in the sixth inning with a triple from Riley King scoring the first of two runs, but Kalispell was able to escape for the win, with Eaves striking out the final better in the seventh.
“It was awesome,” Eaves said.
“The defense played great. I felt like I needed to come out and do my part.”
The win got the Lakers back to .500 in conference play, sitting at 3-3. Missoula is 5-1.
“It was important for us to at least get one,” Kalispell coach Ryan Malmin said.
“For the kids to come back and battle and compete in the second game was important ... There’s no more competitive team than the Missoula Mavericks and for us to come out and compete, that’s what it’s about.”
The Lakers head to the Summer Palouse Tournament in Pullman, Wash., this weekend from Friday to Sunday.
Their next home game is on Tuesday when they host the Glacier Twins.
Mavericks 11, Lakers 2
Missoula 200 261 0 — 11 (8) 0
Kalispell 000 011 0 — 2 7 5
Matt McHugh and Slade Heggen. Matt McLean, Louis Freudenburg (5), Hank McLeod (7) and Kendrick Lee. W — McHugh. L — McLean.
MISSOULA — Heggen 1-3, Reinschmidt 0-3, Riley King 1-3, Nathan Jewett 0-2, Shane Olson 1-3, Jesson Preston 1-3, Alec Bouchee 2-4, Anthony Contonio 1-3, Tanner Meier 1-3.
2B — Heggen 1, King 1, Olson 1, Contonio 1, Meier 1.
KALISPELL — Dillon Matteson 0-4, Charlie Obermiller 1-3, Cody Dopps 2-4, Dillon Eaves 0-4, Sean O’Connell 0-2, Adam Frandsen 1-3, Lee 1-2, Zach Personett 1-3, Nate Bengston 1-3.
2B — Lee 1.
Lakers 3, Mavericks 2
Missoula 000 002 0 — 2 5 0
Kalispell 300 000 x — 3 6 0
Reinschmidt, Bierle (4), Ketteler (5), Contonio (6) and Heggen. Eaves and Lee. W — Eaves. L — Reinschmidt.
MISSOULA — Heggen 1-3, Trace Cunningham 0-3, King 1-3, Jewett 1-2, Olson 0-3, Josh Meader 1-3, McHugh 0-3, Nick Evans 1-2, Meier 1-3.
3B — King 1. RBI — King 1, Jewett 1.
KALISPELL — Lee 0-2, Obermiller 1-2, Dopps 2-3, Eaves 0-2, O’Connell 2-3, Frandsen 1-3, Matteson 0-3, Personett 1-3, Bengston 0-2.
RBI — Eaves 1, O’Connell 1, Matteson 1.