Kalispell outlasts Lethbridge

Jack Corriveau hit a walkoff double in the bottom of the seventh to score Ryan Symmes and give the Kalispell Lakers an 8-7 American Legion baseball victory over visiting Lethbridge on Sunday.

It was a battling kind of day for the Lakers. They trailed by three runs midway through the third inning and by four runs midway through the fourth.

“The kids competed today,” said Lakers coach Ryan Malmin.

“We are growing. We had quality at-bats against a quality pitcher on the bump. We didn’t panic and you see that in our growth. We are handling those moments. Down three runs, we answered. Down four, we answered and then found a way to finish,” he said.

“We trusted the guys out of the bullpen (Logan Siblerud and Ryan Galvan) and they stepped up. Galvan made pitches in key moments and gave us a chance in each of the final three innings. Very proud of him,” the coach said.

The coach also complimented the offensive effort.

“Jack (Corriveau) was big at the plate today as well and had a great approach, got deep in the count and put one in the left center gap for the walkoff. A guy that does not get enough credit and plays a vital role for this team is Ryan Symmes. He is tremendous on the bases and really puts pressure on pitchers and their defense.”

Corriveau was 2-for-5 on the day while Symmes was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI.

“There is still room to grow and improve, but I am very proud how we have handled the adversity of such a slow conference start. It says a lot about our character and our desire to get better every day. (The Lakers) have been great in accepting the challenges at practice.”

Kalispell Lakers 8, Lethbridge 7

Lethbridge 005 200 0 —7 9 4

Kalispell 021 400 1 —8 12 3

Levi Abbott, Zach Tremper (5) and Ty Wevers. Wes Palmer, Logan Siblerud (4), Ryan Galvan (5) and Jonathan Craver. W— Galvan. L — Tremper.

Lethbridge — Noah Wauters 1-5, Ty Wevers 2-4, Levi Abbott 2-4, Brendan Schuls 1-3, Skyler Braun 0-3, Dalton Demers 0-3,Zach Tremper 0-2, Josh Kabayama 1-4, Kalem Haney 2-2. RBI —Wevers 3, Abbott 1, Schuls 1, Braun 1.

Kalispell — Randy Stultz 0-4, Ryan Symmes 3-4, Eric Seaman 1-5, Taylor Morton 3-4, Jack Corriveau 2-5, Connor Drish 1-2, Luke Halland 0-3, Logan Siblerud 1-3, Ryan Galvan 0-0 Jonathan Craver 1-3. 2B — Corriveau, Symmes. RBI — Stultz 1, Symmes 2, Seaman 1, Morton 1, Corriveau 1, Drish 2.