Legion baseball: Glacier Twins in district title game

POLSON — AJ Wetsch doubled to center field to drive in the game-winning run as the Glacier Twins edged the Bitterroot RedSox 4-3 in semifinal play at the Western A District American Legion baseball tournament on Saturday afternoon.

Glacier, down 2-1 after five innings, scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-2 lead.

The RedSox added a final run in the eighth.

Colten Parker and Jayce Fagerland also doubled for the Twins, who finished with seven hits.

Fagerland and Jesse Walburn both had two hits.

Wetsch, who had two RBI, went seven innings on the mound to earn the victory. He struck out three, walked one batter and allowed four hits.

Glacier, district runners-up a year ago, advance to today’s championship game at noon. It will face the winner of the 9 a.m. third-place game which pits the Bitterroot Bucs against the Bitterroot RedSox.

The Twins (41-12) romped in their first two district games, whipping Kootenai Valley 11-0 and the Bitterroot Bucs 24-10.

The State A tournament begins Thursday in Kalispell.

Glacier is the defending state champions.

Bitterroot 000 200 010 — 3 7 3

Glacier 100 003 00x — 4 7 2

WP—AJ Wetsch; LP—Kyle Norman.

BITTERROOT — Jonathan Ringer 2-5, Nate Loranger 1-4, Tylor Nixon 0-3, Zach Ringer 2-3, Kody Lane 0-2, Justin Horvath 1-3, Joe Johnson 0-4, Austin Ray 0-4, Kyle Crossman 0-2, Kyle Norman 1-2.

GLACIER — Colten Parker 1-4, Kyler Howke 0-3, Jayce Fagerland 2-4, Vinnie Smith 0-4, Jesse Walburn 2-3, Tristin Steinwand 0-3, James Sampson-Keck 1-4, Tyler Murphy 0-2, AJ Wetsch 1-2.

2B—Horvath; Parker, Fagerland, Wetsch; RBI—Lane, Horvath (2); Walburn, Wetsch (2).

Loser-Out Games

Bucs 4, Mavs 0

POLSON — Dylan Gavlak and Bo Zeiler combined on a 3-hitter as the Bitterroot Bucs blanked the Missoula Mavs.

Gavlak pitched 8 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two batters. He allowed three hits.

Zeiler, 2 for 4, had a RBI along with Shane Torsen and Chance Sage.

The loss eliminated the Mavs from the tournament.

The Bucs will play the Bitterroot RedSox today at 9 a.m. for third place. The winner advances to today’s championship game at noon versus the Glacier Twins.

Bitterroot 310 000 000 — 4 5 1

Missoula 000 000 000 — 0 3 4

WP—Dylan Gavlak; LP—Koty Rehban.

BITTERROOT — Shane Thorsen 1-4, Braxten McCullough 0-3, Bo Zeiler 2-4, Rees Lesoine 0-4, Chance Sage 0-4, Jade Chimo 0-3, Jake Finley 1-2, Drue McCawley 0-2, Gavlak 1-2.

MISSOULA — Hunter Paulson 1-4, Davis Walker 0-2, Spencer Schock 0-4, Kyle Pollack 0-3, Ryan McHugh 1-4, Rehban 0-4, Kaaden Wilson 0-4, James Martin 1-2, Dylan Barkley 0-3.

RBI—Thorsen, Zeiler, Sage.

Bucs 8, Mariners 7 (11)

POLSON — The Bitterroot Bucs scored a run in the bottom of the 11th inning to eliminate the Mission Valley Mariners from the tournament.

Mission Valley scored three runs in the top of the sixth to take a 7-6 lead. The Bucs came right back to tie it with a run in the bottom half of the sixth.

AJ Jones went 3 for 6 for Mission Valley, which totaled 12 hits. Jacob Harrod, Bransen Krebs and Warren Wood had two hits each.

Wood and Micah McClure doubled for the Mariners.

Rees Lesoine and Chance Sage both were 3 for 6 for the Bucs.

Mission 310 003 000 00 — 7 12 5

Bitterroot 210 031 000 01 — 8 14 3

WP—Bo Zeiler; LP—Tyson Petticrew.

MISSION VALLEY — Derek Peel 0-5, Jacob Harrod 2-4, Bransen Krebs 2-5, Micah McClure 1-5, AJ Jones 3-6, Nyqolas Gillingham 1-3, Walter Wood 0-3, Warren Wood 2-5, Kade Schutzman 1-4.

BITTERROOT — Shane Thorsen 1-6, Marcus Zeiler 0-6, B. Zeiler 0-5, Rees Lesoine 3-6, Chance Sage 3-6, Jade Chimo 4-6, Braxten McCullough 0-3, jake Finley 2-6, Dylan Gavlak 1-4.

2B—McClure, War. Wood; Sage; RBI—Krebs, McClure, Jones, War. Wood; Thorsen, Lesoine, Sage (2), Chimo (2), Finley.

Mavs 8, Loggers 7

POLSON — A late rally allowed the Missoula Mavs to advance in tournament play with a tight victory over the Libby Loggers.

Missoula tied it up with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning and followed with the game-winning run in the eighth.

Trace Tamarro, 2 for 2, hit a solo home run for the Loggers.

Also for Libby, Oliver Grupenhoff, 2 for 5, had two RBI and Eric Lauer, 2 for 5, drove in one run.

Braydan Thom also doubled for Libby, which had nine hits.

Spencer Schock went 2 for 3 and drove in two runs for the Mavs.

Libby 013 000 100 — 7 9 5

Missoula 202 110 11x — 8 5 3

WP—Kaaden Wilson; LP—Braydan Thom.

LIBBY — Collin Johnson 0-3, Luke Haggerty 1-4, Jared Winslow 0-4, Oliver Grupenhoff 2-5, Trace Tamarro 2-2, Erik Lauer 2-5, Thom 1-5, Taylor Wisdom 0-3, Mason Chapel 1-4.

MISSOULA — Hunter Paulson 1-3, Davis Walker 0-2, Spencer Schock 2-3, Kyle Pollack 0-5, Ryan McHugh 1-3, Koty Rehban 0-3, Wilson 0-2, James Martin 0-3, Dylan Barkley 1-4.

2B—Thom: HR—Tamarro; RBI—Johnson, Grupenhoff (2), Tamarro, Lauer; Schock (2), McHugh, Wilson, Barkley (2).