Legion baseball: Lakers lash Lethbridge
It was a busy day for the Kalispell Lakers’ AA bats and a slow one for their bullpen.
Every Laker recorded a hit and all but two drove in runs during Saturday’s 10-5 home victory against the Lethbridge Elks at Griffin Field.
Kalispell put up three runs in the first inning, added another in the second and posted six runs in the fifth off of Elks’ lefty Tevin Hall.
Hall’s last outing against the Lakers was a four-hit shutout, but Kalispell knocked the southpaw out of the game after 4 1/3 innings of work.
“He (Hall) shut us out last week, and a week later we’re able to bounce him in the fifth inning. Our guys did a great job of attacking, and I thought we were a little more aggressive on the bases. We pushed the envelope early on and set the tone after that first inning,” Lakers coach Ryan Malmin said.
While the Kalispell offense tallied 15 hits in the nine-inning contest, starting pitcher Sam Crompton kept the Lethbridge bats at bay.
The righty struck out seven batters on 102 pitches, giving up just two earned runs in 7 1/3 innings of work.
“He’s been working on his mechanics for three or four weeks now. He’s had some spot appearances in relief and felt like he was back to his true self. For him to come out and do what he did, I couldn’t be happier for that kid. That was awesome,” Malmin said.
“He’s got a fastball that rides in a little bit, he’s got a sharp break to his curveball and his changeup continues to improve. For him to come out and pound the zone, again I couldn’t be happier for Sam. We felt this was his day, and we’re glad he shined.”
Once Crompton exited the game to rousing cheers from the Laker faithful, Logan DeCock recorded the next four outs to preserve the win. DeCock faced a bases-load jam in both the eighth and ninth innings, but retired the side each time without allowing a hit.
“Logan was in the middle of that adversity and he was able to get back on the mound and throw strikes. It’s a testament to our kids and where we’ve come as far as focusing on the process and working on the next pitch,” Malmin said.
Manufacturing just a single run through the games first six innings, the Elks plated two runs in both the seventh and eighth. This could have caused some restlessness for Kalispell had it not been for the colossal fifth-inning rally.
Lakers third baseman Patrick O’Connell finished 3-5 on the day, two of those hits coming in the bottom of the fifth — when Kalispell batted around the order and scored six runs on eight singles.
O’Connell led off the inning with a single to left field. O’Connell stole second before right fielder Robert Reaser slapped a single to right field.
With runners on the corners, first baseman Leif Ericksen pushed a base hit past second base for the first run of the inning.
After a sacrifice bunt and walk loaded the bases, second baseman Levi Brenneman drove a liner to right field, forcing the Elks to go to the bullpen and end Hall’s day on the mound.
Shawn Grandmont came in for relief for the Elks, but he couldn’t stop the damage.
Center fielder Brandon Maassen continued the rally with an RBI single before shortstop Walker Malmin drove in two runs with a single of his own.
Catcher Andrew Schleusner’s base hit to right field nearly scored two runs, driving in Brenneman, but Maassen, sliding under Elks catcher Carter Witbeck’s tag at the plate, was called out my the umpire who gave the safe signal simultaneously.
Despite the putout, Lethbridge was in too big of a hole to mount a comeback. Crompton was cruising and the Lakers’ defense was solid.
Kalispell will look to carry the momentum into Monday’s doubleheader with Helena at Griffin Field. First pitch is schedule for 5 p.m.
Lethbridge 001 000 220 — 5 9 0
Kalispell AA 310 060 00x — 10 15 3
Tevin Hall, Shawn Grandmont (5) and Carter Witbeck. Sam Crompton, Logan DeCock (8) and Andrew Schleusner. W — Crompton. L — Hall.
LETHBRIDGE — Nick Ankermann 3-5, Austin Huculak 1-3, Jack McDonald 0-4, Carter Witbeck 3-4, Nick Tetzlaff 0-5, Shawn Grandmont 1-4, Tanner Shirakawa 0-4, Kale Penner 0-2, Landen Brouassa 0-2, eric Davies 1-4, Josh Luchanski 0-1, Tevin Hall 0-1.
KALISPELL — Walker Malmin 1-5, Andrew Schleusner 3-5, Patrick O’Connell 3-5, Robert Reaser 2-5, Leif Ericksen 2-5, Andy Bemis 1-3, Tiler Whiteaker 1-2, Levi Brenneman 1-3, Brandon Maassen 1-3.
2B — Witbeck, Huculak; O’Connell, Scheusner, Bemis. RBIs — Ankermann, Huculak (2), Davies; Malmin (2), Schleusner, O’Connell (2), Reaser (2), Ericksen, Brenneman, Maassen.