Billings Scarlets sweep twinbill from AA Lakers
The Kalispell AA Lakers put some pressure on the powerful Billings Scarlets Wednesday, before dropping both ends of a doubleheader, 6-0 and 4-2 at Griffin Field.
Kyler Northrop hit a pair of doubles and Paxton Prill threw a three-hitter as the Scarlets (48-8 overall, 15-4 in Montana/Alberta conference games) took the opener.
Kalispell (35-19, 6-11 in league) led 1-0 and 2-1 in the second game before Billings pulled ahead in the late innings. Northrop drove in two runs in that one, too, and hit a home run.
The teams battle again Thursday at noon.
Prill was tough, allowing just five baserunners (two walks) in seven innings and striking out seven in the first game.
The Scarlets used three singles in the first inning, the last by Brady Randall, to lead 1-0.
The Lakers put some pressure on, getting a one-out double by Trever Cockerill in the second inning and another by Oscar Kallis in the fifth, but weren’t able to score.
Northrop and Randall hit doubles during in the sixth inning as Billings padded its lead to 3-0. Northrop added a two-run double in the seventh, capping the scoring.
In the nightcap the Lakers took a 1-0 lead on Carter Schlegel’s bases-loaded walk in the second, and went up 2-1 when Oscar Kallis singled in Cockerill, who’d doubled.
A Cade Collis RBI single drew the Scarlets even in the fourth and Northrop’s sacrifice fly scored Mason Brosseau with the go-ahead in the run in the fifth.
Northrop then hit a solo homer in the seventh.
Luke Nikunen pitched into the sixth inning for Kalispell, allowing seven hits, three walks and three earned runs. He fanned two, and Jackson Heino got the final five outs.
First Game
Scarlets 100 002 3 - 6 8 0
AA Lakers 000 000 0 - 0 3 1
Paxton Prill and Jaren Pinter. Oscar Kallis, Trever Cockerill (7) and Ostyn Brennan.
BILLINGS SCARLETS — Nolan Berkram 2-4, Nate McDonald 0-2, Kyler Northrop 3-4, Hunter Doyle 0-3, Brady Randall 2-3, Jakob Wilcox 0-3, Mason Brosseau 1-3, Pinter 0-3, Kade Vatnsdal 0-3.
KALISPELL AA LAKERS — Brennan 0-3, Carter Schlegel 0-2, Luke Nikunen 1-3, Kaden Drish 0-3, Cockerill 1-3, Kallis 1-3, Michael Owens 0-3, Andre Cephers 0-1, Bryce Buckmaster 0-2.
2B — Northrop 2, Randall, Brosseau, Kallis, Cockerill. RBIs — Northrop 2, Randall 2, Doyle, Vatnsdal.
Second Game
Scarlets 001 110 1 - 4 8 0
AA Lakers 011 000 0 - 2 6 0
Zach Stewart, Jaxon Meyer (5), Colter Wilson (7) and Michael Brew. Nikunen, Jackson Heino (6) and Brennan.
SCARLETS — Berkram 0-3, Chase Wise 2-3, Northrop 1-4, McDonald 1-4, Randall 1-4, Wilcox 1-3, Cody Collis 1-2, Brew 0–2, Brosseau 1-2.
AA LAKERS — Brennan 0-2, Schlegel 0-3, Nikunen 1-3, Heino 0-0, Drish 2-4, Cockerill 1-4, Kallis 1-3, Brysen Herion 0-3, Hunter Fann 0-3, Buckmaster 1-2.
2B — Brosseau, McDonald, Cockerill. HR — Northrop. RBIs — Northrop 2, Wise, Collis, Schlegel, Kallis.