WEDNESDAY BRIEFS: Pitch, Hit & Run on deck; torch to run through Valley

Major League Baseball’s Pitch, Hit and Run competition will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Kidsports Complex.

The official skills competition of the MLB, the program is free to all kids younger than 14. Boys and girls will be divided into four age groups: 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14. The kids will have a chance to advance through four levels of competition, ending at the national finals at the 2016 MLB All-Star Game. This weekend’s individual champions in pitching, hitting and running, along with the all-around champion in each age group will advance to the sectional level.

All participants must bring a copy of their birth certificate and have their parent or guardian fill out a registration/waiver form prior to the start of the competition.

For more questions contact Leon Wilcox at 871-5531.

Torch Run glides through Valley

The Law Enforcement Torch Run, a fundraiser for Special Olympics Montana, will travel through Whitefish and Kalispell next week on its way to the Special Olympics State Summer Games in Missoula on May 17-20.

Local officers, deputies and troopers will carry the Flame of Hope down Central Avenue in Whitefish at about 4:30 p.m. on Monday with a pep rally and community barbecue to be held at 5 p.m. between Casey’s Bar and the O’Shaughnessy Center. Hot dogs, water, chips and soda will be provided.

The flame will travel through Kalispell on Wednesday by bicycle beginning at 9 a.m., taking the 50 miles from Happy’s Roadhouse in Marion to Les Schwab Tire on West Center Street. A 2 1/2-mile parade of law enforcement runners and vehicles will travel from there at 3 p.m. down Main Street to Lions Park. At the conclusion of the run a community barbecue with hot dogs, hamburgers and refreshments will be held at Lions Park.

Dawson softball wins region

ROSMOUNT, Minn. — Dawson Community College scored five runs in the third inning of the Region XIII softball championship against Dakota County Technical College on its way to a 9-3 rout, claiming the title to move one step closer to the national junior college tournament.

The Buccaneers went undefeated in three games at the tournament, advancing to play the Region XI champion Kirkwood Community College this weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The winner of the best-of-three series advances to the NJCAA DII softball championship tournament May 18-21 in Clinton, Mississippi.

Kalispell’s Cassidy Smith, a sophomore first baseman for the Bucs, was 2 for 3 at the plate in the championship game. Polson’s Taylor Brackey was 1 for 2 in the semifinals against Williston State.

Whitefish adult soccer league begins in June

WHITEFISH — The Flathead Rapids adult summer soccer league is open for registration. Men’s and co-rec leagues will be offered with one game per week and eight games total, each holding an end of season tournament.

The men’s league will run from June 13 to Aug. 10, with games played on at 7 p.m. on Monday or Wednesday at Grouse Mountain Fields. Team and individual registration is open for players ages 16 and older. The league fee is $600 per team or $50 for individuals. Individuals without a team will be placed on a roster.

The co-rec league will run from June 14 to Aug. 9, playing its games at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays at Grouse Mountain Fields. Players of all abilities are welcome. The league fee is $50 for individuals, with rosters split up evenly.

For registration forms and more information visit www.flatheadrapids.com or contact flatheadrapids@gmail.com.

Montana awards nine local scholar athletes

MISSOULA — The University of Montana recognized a handful of scholar athletes from the Flathead Valley on Tuesday at the annual Robert O. Lindsay Scholar-Athlete Honors Banquet, capped by Whitefish’s Derek Crittenden earning his fifth and final President’s Award.

Crittenden, who carried a 4.0 GPA throughout his career at Montana, earned the top academic award for student athletes every year he was in Missoula. The Whitefish High School grad completed degrees in chemistry and mathematics with a minor in philosophy while playing on the defensive line for the Griz football team, where he was named a captain last fall. He was also a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship and the Campbell Trophy, college football’s top academic honor. He has been accepted to a masters program at the University of Pennsylvania for business administration and biotechnology and has interviewed to take a similar path at Stanford University.

Other awardees were: Emma Andrews (Flathead) for the Harriet Anderson Memorial Athletic Scholarship; Tess Brenneman (Flathead) for the Frank Nugent Memorial Scholarship; Emily Cheroske (Bigfork) for the Janet & Michelle Hainline Scholarship; Evan Epperly (Glacier) for the Kole Swartz Legacy Scholarship; Carla Nicosia (Columbia Falls) for the Ronald E. & Julia Blake Memorial Scholarship; Matt Quist (Flathead) for the B. Tim Stark Memorial Track & Field Scholarship; Josh Sandry (Bigfork) for the Michael R. Jorgensen Endowment Fund; and Jackson Thiebes (Glacier) for the Colleen Marks Athletic Scholarship.

“This shows the group of student-athletes we’re bringing in to compete here really cares about academics and has the bigger picture in mind,” Crittenden said. “They understand they’re going to be out in the real world working one day, so it’s awesome to see so many are excelling on and off the field.”