Legion baseball: Lakers take 2 from Bitterroot Red Sox

The Kalispell Lakers AA opened the American Legion baseball season Sunday afternoon at Griffin Field by sweeping the Bitterroot Red Sox A 6-5 and 5-1.

The Lakers trailed the Red Sox 4-0 after 3 1/2 innings in the opener before rallying for the win. The Lakers scored four times in the fourth to take the lead.

Andrew Schleusner had a two-run double in the fourth for the Lakers.

Leif Erickson pitched four innings of relief ball to pick up the win.

Kalispell held a 3-1 lead after the first inning of the second game and never trailed.

Micah Benson had two of Kalispell’s four hits in that one. He doubled and drove in a run.

Schleusner singled and drove in two runs.

Jayson Combs had the team’s other hit.

Dawson Smith pitched the final four innings in the second contest to pick up the win. He allowed six hits, struck out four and walked two batters.

“I’m happy with Dawson and Leif coming in, in relief,” veteran Lakers coach Ryan Malmin said.

“Both kids were in our pitching bootcamp (December through March) and the offseason work really showed today. They were in commanded of the strike zone.”

The Lakers stole 10 bases in the second game by seven different players. Haydn Schlepp had three steals and Schleusner two.

“We were aggressive on the bases and that helped,” Malmin said.

“We struggled a little bit offensively in that one.”

The Lakers are back in action Thursday hosting the Kootenai Valley Rangers A for a single game starting at 5:30 p.m.

The Red Sox are the defending Class A state champions and regional champions.

NOTE: The Lakers annual Baseball Camp is Friday at Griffin Field from 5-9 p.m. The cost is $40 per camper and includes a T-shirt and pizza.

This camp is for all players in the Flathead Valley ages 8-15 and features fundamentals in throwing, fielding and hitting, as well as instruction for game situations.

For more information, contact Malmin at 253-2232 or log on to www.kalispelllakers.org.

First Game

Kalispell Lakers 6, Bitterroot Red Sox 5

No score by innings, or hitting summary available.

Second Game

Bitterroot Red Sox 100 000 0 — 1 7 4

Kalispell Lakers 310 100 x — 5 4 1

WP—Dawson Smith. LP—Jonathan Ringer.

BITTERROOT — Joe Johnson 1-3, Nate Loranger 0-2, Taylor Nixon 1-3, Justin Horvath 1-3, Ringer 1-1, Justin Catanch 1-3, Hunter Omlid 0-4, Kade Hudgins 0-1, Chase Connor 1-3, Tanner Goligoski 1-2.

KALISPELL — Haydn Schlepp 0-2, Micah Benson 2-4, Andrew Schleusner 1-4, Patrick O’Connell 0-1, Leif Erickson 0-1, Joe Broughton 0-2, Spencer Pisk 0-2, Smith 1-1, Jonas Nyman 0-3, Jayson Combs 0-2.

2B—Horvath; Benson. RBIs—Nixon; Benson, Schleusner (2).