Legion baseball: Twins fall short in Western A District title game

POLSON — The Bitterroot Red Sox broke a 2-all tie with three runs in the top of the third inning en route to a 6-3 victory over the Glacier Twins to capture the Western A District American Legion baseball championship on Monday afternoon.

The victory advances the Red Sox to the state tournament, which begins Thursday in Kalispell.

The Twins finished the season with a 41-15 record. The Twins also finished second last year at the district tournament.

“We had opportunities to win it,” Twins coach Bob Rupp said.

“Our bats died. We had the bases all loaded a couple times and it was just fly balls, fly balls and we hit into a double play twice.”

Glacier won the state championship last year.

It was the third meeting in the double-elimination tournament for the two rivals.

Glacier won the first one, 4-3 in the semifinal on Saturday, then lost in the first championship game 23-4 on Sunday. That loss forced a second championship game.

Nate Loranger went 4 for 4 and drove in a run to power the Red Sox in the finale.

Jonathan Ringer picked up the victory on the mound, going 4 2/3 innings. Helped his cause at the plate with a 3 for 5 effort.

Jesse Walburn carried the hot bat for the Twins, going 3 for 4. James Sampson-Keck and Austin Robbins were next with two hits each.

Derek Kastela doubled for Glacier.

The Twins had 13 hits.

Bitterroot was on the offensive early with 12 hits in the first three innings. The Red Sox finished with 15.

“Johnny (Sapa) came in and pitched very well,” Rupp said.

Sapa went the final six innings, allowing three hits and one run. He walked one batter and struck out two.

NOTE: The top two teams from district tournaments advance to state. Western A, however, will have its championship team there along with tournament host Kalispell.

Bitterroot Red Sox 113 000 001 — 6 15 3

Glacier Twins 020 000 100 — 3 13 1

WP—Jonathan Ringer; LP—AJ Wetsch.

BITTERROOT — J. Ringer 3-5, Nate Loranger 4-4, Justin Horvath 1-3, Zach Ringer 1-4, Tylor Nixon 1-5, Kody Lane 1-5, Joe Johnson 2-5, Austin Ray 1-3, Kyle Crossman 1-2, Bret Huxtable 0-1, Ladd Grenfell 0-1.

GLACIER TWINS — Kyler Howke 1-5, Tristin Steinwand 1-4, Jayce Fagerland 1-5, Vinnie Smith 1-4, Jesse Walburn 3-4, James Sampson-Keck 2-3, Austin Robbins 2-3, Derek Kastela 1-4, Tyler Murphy 1-3.

2B—Nixon, Johnson, Ray; 3B—Kastela; RBI—Loranger, Z. Ringer, Ray (2), Walburn, Robbins, Kastela.