A Lakers, Twins win at West A; play Friday
POLSON — Hunter Glidden’s RBI single broke a 4-4 title, and the Kalispell Lakers scored 10 runs over the final two innings of a 12-5 defeat of Cranbrook at the West A District Legion tournament Thursday.
The Lakers (38-16) will play the Glacier Twins (25-8) Friday at 3 p.m. The Twins beat Libby 13-3 on Thursday, dropping the Loggers into a loser-out game with Cranbrook at 9 a.m.
In the 3 p.m. game the Mission Valley Mariners beat the Bitterroot Red Sox 8-7.
A Lakers 12, Bandits 5
Glidden scored three times for the Lakers (38-16), who trailed 4-2 before the late-inning explosion. Bryce Quinnell’s two-run single tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth; after Glidden’s hit, Hunter Fann bunted and reached on a throwing error that scored two runs for a 7-4 lead. A sacrifice fly by Luke Nikunen scored Fann to make it 8-4.
Nikunen had an RBI double in the first as well.
After the Bandits out of British Columbia (20-22) closed the gap to 8-5, the Lakers tacked on four runs in the seventh. The big blow was Braden Capser’s two-out, two-run single that made it 12-5.
Cranbrook managed four hits, and Vinny Fiorentino drove in two runs.
Lakers A 200 006 4 - 12 8 5
Bandits 110 201 0 - 5 4 5
Jackson Heino, Trever Cockerill (4), Hunter Fann (6) and Bryce Quinnell. Owen Relkoff, Edyn Barber (6), Blayke Butler (7), Vinny Fiorentino (7) and Dallin Rodger.
KALISPELL A LAKERS — Hunter Glidden 1-2, Hunter Fann 0-2, Luke Nikunen 1-3, Braden Capser 1-5, Bryce Buckmaster 1-5, Cockerill 0-2, Heino 1-2, Cale Brink 2-4, Bryce Quinnell 1-4.
CRANBROOK BANDITS — Ryan White 0-1, Fiorentino 1-2, Michael Clark 0-3, Butler 0-4, Josh Phigin 0-3, Ty Dupley 0-1, Leif Dubreuil 1-3, C Reimer 1-3, B Johnson 0-1, Rodger 1-2.
2B — Nikunen, Heino. RBIs — Nikunen 2, BCapser 2, Quinnell 2, Glidden, Brink, Fiorentmp 2. White. Rodger.
Twins 13, Loggers 3
Mikey Glass and Tristan Butts each had three hits, and Glass and Kellen Kroger each scored three times for the Twins, who ended the game in the fifth inning under the mercy rule.
Kroger and Butts hit back-to-back RBI singles to end it; the Twins sent xx men to the plate and scored eight times in the second inning. Butts hit a two-run double that made it 5-1, and Glacier had amassed five hits — including a two-run single from Josiah Ruther — along with three walks in the frame.
Dayne Tue and Dawson Juntenen combined to allow four hits and two walks. Tu struck out four in 3 2-3 innings.
Rusty Gillespie, T Wolfe and B Gilmore all drove in runs for Libby (4-33).
Mariners 8, Red Sox 7
Aiden Gfroerer capped a five-run first inning with a two-run single, and Dawson DuMont hit a big two-run homer in the sixth for Mission Valley (22-14).
The home run was big because it made the score 8-5; the Red Sox scored twice in the top of the seventh inning.
Two hit batters sparked the rally, which ended after Paul Brenneman drew a bases loaded walk that cut the gap to 8-7.
The next hitter struck out, and Mission Valley got the third out when catcher Espn Fisher picked Brenneman off first.
Gfoerer drove in three runs, and Hunter Emerson knocked in two for the Mariners. Pitcher Cymian Kauley went the distance, allowing five hits, five walks and five earned runs. He fanned four.
Brenneman drove in three runs for the Red Sox (17-13), two with a fourth-inning double.
Mission Valley will play the Missoula Mavericks Friday at 6 p.m.; the Mavs edged the Missoula A Bitterroot Bucs 3-2 in Thursday’s late game.