Lakers struggle with first-place Royals

There was one blowout and three losses by a total of seven runs.

The bad news is the Billings Royals showed why they’re in first place, completing a four-game sweep of the Kalispell Lakers in Montana AA American Legion action Saturday.

A misplayed two-out popup led to a 4-run sixth inning for the Royals in Saturday’s late game, leading to a 5-2 Billings win at Griffin Field. That, combined with a 13-0 shutout in the first game of the doubleheader and an 8-5 win late Friday, put the Royals’ league mark at 23-1.

They’re 51-10 overall and have won 20 straight.

Kalispell, 10-6 in league after winning three of four at Great Falls mid-July, slipped to 11-13.

The good news is the Lakers (34-18-1), who also lost three games to third-place Helena by a total of six runs last week, can lay in the weeds for next week’s State AA tournament in Great Falls. They’ll likely play the Billings Scarlets in their opener on Thursday.

Royals 5, Lakers 2

Things unraveled in the sixth, starting with a Kruz Slevira single, then an error that brought him home to tie the game at 2-2.

Michael Ohlin followed with a single for the Royals, but a fielder’s choice and a popout had the Lakers on the verge of getting out of the inning. Then came Austin Schaaf’s pop behind third, which fell for an error and scored a run to put Bilings up 3-2.

Jessen West and Davis Mosier followed with RBI singles to cap the inning.

The Lakers loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but Kostya Hoffman lined out to left and Kael Willis grounded out to short to end it.

Lance Schaaf threw six solid innings for the Royals, allowing four hits, four walks and both Laker runs. He struck out four.

Kalispell starter Joseph Schlegel was tagged for five runs in six innings, but none were earned. He allowed eight hits and two walks, and fanned two.

Royals 13, Lakers 0

The first game was almost all Royals, with Mosier socking three doubles and driving in four runs and Gunner Thompson throwing a 4-hit shutout.

JJ Jordahl had four hits, including a double, and scored three times for Billings; Max Keller got on base three times and scored three runs as well.

Danny Kernan had half of the Lakers’ hits, going 2-for-3 with a double.

Three Kalispell pitchers surrendered 16 hits and three walks. For Billings, Thompson struck out six and walked two.

First game

Royals 201 037 - 13 16 2

Lakers 000 000 - 0 4 1

Gunner Thompson and Michael Ohlin. Kostya Hoffman, Gage Brink (5), Owen Schilling (6) and

BILLINGS ROYALS — JJ Jordahl 4-5, Max Keller 1-3, Davis Mosier 3-5, Owen Doucette 3-4, Ohlin 1-3, Burke Steppe 2-3, Payton Stidham 0-3, Hunter Eliason 1-4, Lance Schaaf 1-4.

KALISPELL LAKERS AA — Carver Van Aken 0-2, Gage Brink 0-2, Ethan Diede 0-1, Max Holden 0-1, Nic Gustafson 0-1, Thomas O’Connell 0-2, Elijah Owens 0-1, DAnny Kernan 2-3, Kael Willis 0-2, Joseph Schlegel 1-2, Owen Schilling 1-2, Grady Drish 0-2.

2B — Mosier 3, Steppe, Jordahl, Kernan. RBI — Mosier 4, Ohline 2, Steppe 2, Eliason 2, Schaff, Jordahl.

Second game

Royals 001 004 0 - 5 9 1

Lakers 101 000 0 - 2 4 4

Schaaf, Keller (7), Eliason (7) and Ohlin. Schlegel, Kernan (7) and Drish.

ROYALS — Schaaf 0-4, West 3-4, Mosier 1-3, Doucette 0-4, Slevira 2-4, Ohlin 1-4, Keller 2-3, Reagan Walker 0-2, Jordahl 0-2, Bubba Bergen 0-3.

LAKERS — Van Aken 1-4, Brink 0-2, O’Connell 1-2, Schlegel 0-0, Kernan 0-1, Hoffman 1-3, Willis 0-4, Holden 1-3, Owens 0-2, Drish 0-2.

3B — Hoffman. RBI — West 2, Mosier, Hoffman 2.

Late Friday

Royals 8, Lakers 5

Eight out of nine Royals reached base to start the sixth inning, with Owen Doucette’s 3-run double making it 5-0 and Gunnar Thompson’s RBI double forging a 6-0 lead.

Billings ended up scoring six times to go up 8-0. When the Lakers’ bats got going (Brink had an RBI single in the sixth and a 2-run single in the seventh) it was too little too late.

Mosier also had an excellent start for the Royals, allowing five hits and two runs in six innings. He struck out five. Max Holden allowed two runs in five strong innings for the Lakers before the Royals got to him in the sixth.

Late Friday

Royals 200 006 0 - 8 9 0

Lakers 000 002 3 - 5 9 0

Mosier, Steppe (7) and Thompson. Holden, Gustafson (6) and Drish.

BILLINGS ROYALS — Jordahl 1-3, West 2-4, Slevira 0-1, Doucette 1-4, Thompson 2-3, Keller 0-3, Stidham 0-3, WAlker 2-3, Bergen 1-3.

LAKERS — O’Connell 1-4, Brink 3-4, Diede 2-4, Kernan 1-4, Schlegel 0-3, Willis 0-2, Schilling 0-0, Hoffman 1-3, Van Aken 0-2, Drish 1-2.

2B — Jordahl, Doucette, Thompson, Brink, O’Connell. RBI — Doucette 3, Thompson 3, Walker, Jordahl, Brink 3, Kernan, Drish.