AA Lakers split pair in Helena

HELENA — Kostya Hoffman threw five solid innings and backed his own pitching with four runs batted in as Kalispell AA Lakers downed Bozeman 15-3 in Legion baseball Saturday.

The Lakers went 1-1 in a round-robin that included the host Helena Senators, who won 9-1 later Saturday.

In the first game Kalispell broke a 1-1 tie with crooked numbers in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Max Holden sparked the four-run third inning with an RBI double.

Hoffman had an RBI single in the first, an RBI groundout in the fourth to put the Lakers up 6-2 and a two-run double in the sixth. On the hill he allowed seven hits, two walks and one earned run. He struck out three. The game ended after six innings under the mercy rule.

Max Holden also had one of the Lakers’ five doubles, and scored three times. Ostyn Brennan went 1-for-2, was hit by three pitches and scored five runs.

Lakers AA 104 343 - 15 13 2

Bucks 101 010 - 3 7 2

Kostya Hoffman, Fletcher Postlewait (6) and Grady Drish. Jackson Burke, Austin Cooper (4), Dillon Farne (5) and Jadin Frandsen.

LAKERS AA — Gage Brink 2-4, Ostyn Brennan 1-2, Max Holden 2-4, Hoffman 3-5, Elijah Owens 1-3, Haiden Bunyea 1-3, Nic Gustafson 1-3, Drish 1-3, Jackson Nelson 1-3.

BOZEMAN BUCKS — Jake Vigen 0-3, River Smith 1-3, Andrew Western 1-3, Max Matteucci 0-3, Bryce Hampton 1-3, Gannon McGarrah 1-3, Zane Haarer 1-2, Dillon Farne 0-1, Frandsen 2-3, Michael Armstrong 0-3.

2B — Brennan, Brink, Bunyea, Hoffman, Holden, Frandsen 2, Haarer, Western, Smith. RBIs — Hoffman 4, Owens 3, Holden 2, Bunyea 2, Brennan, Brink, Gustafson, Western.

Senators 9, Lakers AA 1

HELENA — Helena’s Will Lyng threw a four-hitter at the Lakers, striking out five to go against one walk.

The only run for the Lakers (6-3) came on a bases-loaded double-play grounder in the seventh inning.

Hunter Bratcher’s RBI double started a 3-run outburst for Helena (7-4) in the first inning, and Hunter Wallis’ two-run homer in the fifth made it 9-0.

In Saturday’s early game, Helena edged Bozeman 4-3.

Lakers AA 000 000 1 - 1 4 2

Senators 312 120 x - 9 13 1

Asher Baines, Aaron Crutsinger (5) and Brink. Will Lyng and Hunter Wallis.

LAKERS AA — Brink 0-1, Brennan 0-3, Holden 0-3, Hoffman 1-3, Owens 1-3, Bunyea 1-2, James Moody 0-3, Kane Morisaki 0-3, Nelson 1-2, Gustfans 0-3, Crutsinger 0-0.

HELENA SENATORS — Trysten Mooney 1-3, Mike Hurlbert 1-4, Hunter Bratcher 2-4, Eric Cockhill 1-3, Gavin Thennis 3-4, Wallis 2-4, Walker Bennett 1-3, Tycen Mooney 1-3, Sam Ark 1-2.

2B — Bratcher. HR — Wallis. RBIs — Bratcher 2, Wallis 2, Hurlbert, Cockhill, Thennis, Bennett.

Reps sweep A Lakers

A nine-run inning doomed Kalispell in the first game, and the Helena Reps poured it on late in the second game to sweep a Legion doubleheader from the A Lakers Saturday at Griffin Field.

In the first game Nick Benson had three hits and four runs batted in for the Reps, and Lance Bratlien hit a two-run triple in the midst of that second-inning outburst.

Tyler Williams threw 5 2/3 solid innings of relief for the Lakers (5-4), allowing six hits, a walk and two earned runs — on Benson’s homer in the seventh inning. He struck out two.

In the nightcap Helena scored four times in the fifth inning to build an 8-2 lead.

Colt Tietje’s two-run double capped the outburst; he had three hits and drove in three. Connor Devin had four hits for Helena and scored twice.

The Lakers led 2-1 early, an RBI grounder by Michael Owens and a sacrifice fly by Brysen Herion.

The A Lakers stay home Sunday to play a doubleheader with Havre, beginning at 10 a.m.

First Game

Reps 090 100 2 - 21 11 0

Lakers A 002 001 0 - 3 5 3

JR Huschka, Grady Diehl (6) and n/a. Brysen Herion, Tyler Willilams (2) and n/a.

HELENA REPS — Seth Nielsen 1-4, Colt Tietje 1-4, Nick Benson 3-4, Matt Goleman 1-4, Payton Tavary 0-4, Lance Bratlien 2-4, Cole Graham 3-4, Zach Develey 0-3, Braden Beatty 0-3.

LAKERS A — Adam Nikunen 1-3, Joey Thatcher 0-3, Oscar Kallis 1-4, Michael Owens 0-4, Braden Capser 1-2, TJ Hyack 0-1, Easton Capser 1-2, Kent Fahnfander 1-1, Kaden Drish 0-3.

2B — Bratlien, E. Capser, Kallis. 3B — Goleman, Bratlien. HR — Benson. RBIs — Benson 4, Goleman 2, Graham 2, Tavaray, Beatty, Fahnfander 2, Thatcher.

Second game

Reps 101 240 0 - 8 14 0

Lakers A 200 000 2 - 4 9 0

Bratlien, Payton Vulk (7) and n/a. Nikunen, Fahfander (6), Josh Close (6) and n/a.

HELENA REPS — Huschka 2-3, Tietje 3-5, Benson 1-4, taylor Kopp 2-4, Graham 0-3, Connor Devine 4-4, Dylan Willcut 0-2, Jackson Cosgrove 1-4, Grady Diehl 1-4.

LAKERS A — Thatcher 1-3, Kallis 3-3, Owens 1-4, B.Capser 0-2, Bryson Herion 0-3, Williams 2-43, Nate Skonard 1-3, Timmy Glanville 1-3, K.Drish 0-3.

2B — Diehl, Tietje, Glanville, Kallis. RBIs — Tietje 3, Kopp 2, Diehl 2, Cosgrove, Williams 2, Herion, Owens.

Libby 8, Kootenai Valley 0

LIBBY — Aydan Williamson threw a six-inning shutout and helped his own cause with three runs batted in, leading Libby over the Kootenai Valley Rangers Saturday at the Libby Wood Bat Tournament.

Williamson allowed three hits and three walks, and struck out 10 Rangers.

Caden Williams also drove in three runs for Libby (1-4), starting with an RBI groundout in the first inning. Williamson’s single drove in Tripp Zhang, who’d doubled, to make it 2-0..

Williams added a two-run triple in the sixth, and when Williamson followed with an RBI single the game ended under the mercy rule. It was Williams’ third run.

Kyle Durden had two hits for Kootenai Valley, and Joshua Butts hit a double.

Rangers 000 000 - 0 3 0

Loggers 201 023 - 8 8 1

Kyle Durden and Cle Hurst. Ayden Williamson and Rusty Gillespie..

KOOTENAI VALLEY RANGERS — Joshua Butts 1-3, Cole Hurst 0-3, Durden 2-2, Sammy Hall 0-2, AJ Truman 0-3, Dominic Peltier 0-2, Jake Hall 0-3, Bobby Houche 0-2, Ashton Wise 0-2.

LIBBY LOGGERS — Dylan Buckner 1-3, Tripp Zhang 1-4, Caden Williams 2-3, Williamson 3-3, Landon Haddock 1-2, Gillespie 0-2, Brett Osborne 0-3, Caleb Moeller 0-2, Aiden Rose 0-3.

2B — Butts, Haddock, Zhang. 3B — Ca.Williams. RBIs — Ca.Willams 3, Williamson 3, Haddock.

Late Friday

Impact 2, Libby 1

LIBBY — Two errors led to two fourth-inning runs and that was enough for the Missoula Impact U18 baseball team to edge Libby Friday night.

The Loggers outhit the Impact 6-2 — Brett Osborne had two hits — but a mishandled leadoff grounder, an errant throw on a steal attempt and Luke Kunz’ RBI single made the difference.

Caden Williams was a tough-luck pitcher: He surrendered just two hits and one walk in seven innings and fanned seven. He also hit a double and scored Libby’s only run in the first, on Aydan Williamson’s single.

Impact 000 200 0 - 2 2 0

Loggers 100 000 0 - 1 6 3

Luke Kunz and D Gunlock. Caden Williams and Cy Williams.