Legion baseball: Twins trounce Ferris

WHITEFISH — The Glacier Twins scored 10 runs in the fourth inning to trounce Spokane Ferris 11-3 in the nightcap of the opening day of the 31st annual Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial American Legion baseball tournament on Thursday at Memorial Park.

The fourth inning hadn’t started out so well for the Twins. Trailing 2-0 after giving up a pair of runs in the first inning, Glacier grounded out in its first at bat of the fourth. After reaching the next two batters on a walk and an error, the Twins fourth batter of the inning struck out, leaving two batters on with two outs in a game that already saw Glacier leave four batters stranded in the first three innings.

A.J. Wetsch changed that with a swing of the bat, unloading the bases with a two-run double to right field. Colten Parker singled in the next at bat, and the next two batters reached on an error and a walk. The Twins saw four straight hits, capped by a double from James Sampson-Keck that scored the eighth run of the inning. Austin Robins and Sampson-Keck scored the ninth and 10th runs of the inning on a passed ball during Greyson Bistodeau’s second at-bat of the inning before the Saxons got out of the inning.

The Twins walked or were hit on four straight batters to start the sixth inning, scoring another run before the game was called.

Robins earned the win on the mound, pitching 4 2/3 with five strikeouts. Glacier held the Saxons to just two hits in the contest.

Earlier in the day, the Spokane Mead Panthers beat Calgary 9-1 and the Spokane Cannons beat Lethbridge 6-4.

The Twins close out play again at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night, hosting the Spokane Dodgers.

31st annual Sapa-Johnsrud

Memorial Tournament

Twins 11, Saxons 3

Ferris    200    010    —    3    2    4

Glacier    000    (10)01    —    11    8    2

W—Austin Robins. L—Nick Merkel.

FERRIS—Brock Bozett 1-3, Will Gottsch 0-3, Kellen Cribbs 0-2, Nick McGoldrick 0-2, Evan Current 1-3, Nick Merkel 0-2, McCall Penna 0-1, Axel Holm 0-3, Spud Batt 0-2.

GLACIER—Colten Parker 2-4, Jayce Fagerland 1-4, Tristin Steinwand 0-3, Vinny Smith 1-2, Jesse Walburn 1-0, Kalen Veneman 0-0, Austin Robins 1-2, Tyler Murphy 0-0, James Sampson-Keck 1-2, Greyson Bistodeau 0-3, AJ Wetsch 1-3.

2B—Sampson-Keck, Wetsch. 3B—Bozett. RBIs—Current. Parker, Robins, Sampson-Keck 2, Smith, Wetsch 2.

Other scores

Mead Panthers 9, Calgary Redbirds 1

Spokane Cannons 6, Lethbridge Elks 4