Legion baseball: Twins survive North Medford, reach consolation finals
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The wild ride that is the Glacier Twins postseason run lives to see another day after a thrilling 13-11 come from behind victory over the North Medford (Ore.) Mavericks at The Northwest Class A Regional American Legion baseball tournament on Sunday.
Despite out-hitting the Mavericks 18-6, Glacier needed their final at-bat to top North Medford.
The Twins trailed 10-11 heading into the top of the ninth inning.
Jacye Fagerland doubled to right field that allowed Tyler Murphy to score from second to tie the game. The very next batter was Colten Parker, who hit his second double of the contest to drive in Fagerland and give the Twins a 12-11 lead.
A balk would eventually score Parker from third.
Parker took the mound in the bottom of the ninth where he struck out two batters, including Honus Kindreich to end the game and send Glacier to the next round of the Regional tournament.
The Twins didn’t make things easy on themselves, committing five errors in the game and giving up six runs in the bottom of the sixth to allow North Medford, who trailed 7-5 heading into the bottom half, to claim a four-run lead.
But the hot-hitting Twins would get those six-runs back, scoring three runs in the seventh and ninth innings.
Colton Gove, Vincent Smith, Kyler Howke and Fagerland all had two RBIs in the contest. Gove went 2 for 4 with both hits going for triples. Howke had one of the most productive nights at the plate with his game-high four hits in six plate appearances.
The Twins continue loser out action today at 2 p.m., needing at least two more victories to hoist the regional championship trophy. They face the Cody (Wyoming) Cubs. Cody replaced Northern Utah (Hyrum) in the winner’s bracket semifinal contest after the Eagles withdrew from the tournament when their legion director realized they had used ineligible players in their previous victories. Pocatello (Idaho), defeated Cody in the contest and will play Juneau (Alaska) in the other matchup today at 6 p.m.
Glacier 200 221 303 — 13 18 5
North Medford 102 026 000 — 11 6 2
Jesse Walburn, Tyler Murphy (5), Colten Parker (6) and Dakota Bridwell. Berry Hunt, Preston Johnson (7), Greyson Wolff (8) and Christopher McKee.
GLACIER — Colton Gove 2-4, Jayce Fagerland 1-4, Colten Parker 3-5, Vincent Smith 2-3, Kyler Howke 4-6, Tristin Steinwand 1-5, Jesse Walburn 2-5, Dakota Bridwell 2-4, AJ Wetsch 0-2, Austin Robins 1-1.
NORTH MEDFORD — Tate Cowden 1-5, Larson Kindreich 0-3, Kasey Buchanan 1-2, Greyson Wolff 0-3, Mason Barone 2-5, Honus Kindreich 1-5, Dakota Adams 1-3, Berry Hunt 0-1, Justin Geyer 0-1, Preston Johnson 0-4.
2B — Walburn, Parker 2, Howke, Smith, Fagerland, Adams. 3B — Gove 2, HR — Cowden. RBIs — Gove 2, Fagerland 2, Parker, Smith 2, Howke 2, Steinwand, Bridwell, Cowden, Buchanan 2, Wolff 2.