Legion baseball: Twins knock out Belgrade; play on
LEWISTOWN — Belgrade scored first, but it was all Glacier after that as the Twins rolled to a 14-4 loser-out victory on Saturday at the Montana/Alberta State A American Legion baseball tournament at Ryan Sparks Field.
The victory advanced the Twins (36-21-1) to the championship game versus Laurel. That game, originally re-scheduled for 4 p.m., was delayed until 9 p.m. at the earliest because of thunderstorms.
Glacier banged out 19 hits and had two big innings in eliminating Belgrade. The Twins scored three runs in the second to take the lead for good and closed with a seven-run ninth inning. They added one run in the fourth and fifth innings and scored twice in the eighth.
Glacier could have done even more damage on the scoreboard, but stranded 15 runners to 10 for Belgrade.
Vincent Smith, 4 for 6, hit three doubles and drove in one run to key the Twins offense.
Austin Robins, 2 for 3, had a pair of doubles and one RBI.
Leadoff hitter Colton Gove went 4 for 7 with three RBIs. He doubled once and tripled once.
Colton Parker, 2 for 5, had three RBIs and drove in two runners.
Three pitchers — Jesse Walburn, Smith and Robins — held Belgrade to eight singles. The trio combined to strike out just one batter and walked eight.
Walburn pitched the first five innings, Smith went 2 2/3 and Robins 1 1/3.
Glacier 030 110 027 — 14 19 2
Belgrade 101 001 100 — 4 8 3
Jesse Walburn, Vincent Smith (6), Austin Robins (8) and NA; Trevor Mahn, Joshua Gier (5), Connor Clay (9) and NA. W—Walburn; L—Mahn.
GLACIER — Colton Gove 4-7, Jayce Fagerland 1-4, Colten Parker 2-5, Smith 4-6, Kyler Howke 1-6, Tristan Steinwand 1-5, Jesse Walburn 2-4, Dakota Bridwell 2-4, AJ Wetsch 0-2, Robins 2-3.
BELGRADE — Koby Ruff 1-3, Mahn 0-4, Christian Schreckengost 1-3, Gier 1-3, Joshua Browning 1-4, Matthew Molzahn 1-4 Emmanuel Eudave 1-3, Connor Clay 1-4, Trey Mounts 1-3.
2B—Robins (2), Gove, Smith (3); 3B—Gove; RBIs—Gove (3), Parker (3), Smith, Steinwand (2), Robins; Browning, Clay.
State AA American Legion
Baseball Tournament
Saturday At Lethbridge, Alberta
Spitz Stadium
First Championship Game
Missoula 101 105 08 — 16 16 2
Royals 000 000 00 — 0 5 2
Anthony Contonio and Slade Heggen. Konner Wiechman, Cody Frenk (6), Pete Lind (8), John Vogel (8) and Tanner Leenknecht. WP—Contonio. LP—Wiechman.
Missoula Mavericks — Slade Heggen 4-6 (2 rbi), Tanner Rheinschmidt 0-4, Shane Olson 4-5 (2 rbi), Jesson Preston 1-3 (3 rbi), Matt McHugh 2-4 (2 rbi), Zanon Fulbright 0-1, Trevor Dickey 1-2, Josh Meader 3-5 (3 rbi), Jackson King 0-4 (rbi), Jakob Bierig 1-2 (2 rbi).
Billings Royals — Joe Zimmer 0-4, Matt Dillon 0-4, Konner Wiechman 2-3, Tanner Leenknecht 1-3, Kevin Angland 1-3, Austin Vogel 0-1, Cody Frenk 0-0, Pete Lind 0-0, John Vogel 0-1, Baylee Slevira 0-3, Drew Atkeison 0-2, Wyatt Summers 1-1, Bryan Mitchell 0-2.
2B—Heggen, Preston, Meader.
Second Championship Game
Billings 100 001 000 — 2 6 1
Missoula 100 002 00x — 3 10 0
Kolby Reed, Joe Zimmer (7) and Tanner Leenknecht. Austin Bohnsack, Matt McHugh (7) and Slade Heggen. WP—Bohnsack. LP—Reed. Save—McHugh.
Billings Royals— Zimmer 2-5 (rbi), Dillon 0-3, Wiechman 1-4, Leenknecht 0-1 (rbi), Angland 1-4, Ryan Walla 0-3, Lind 0-1, Slevira 1-3, Summers 1-3, Mitchell 0-3.
Missoula Mavericks — Heggen 0-4, Rheinschmidt 2-3, Olson 2-4 (rbi), Preston 2-4, McHugh 1-4, Fulbright 1-2 (rbi), Dickey 0-1, Meader 0-4, King 2-3 (rbi), Bierig 0-3.
2B—Olson.
HR—Zimmer.