Scarlets pull away from AA Lakers

Kalispell's Oscar Kallis (3) drives in two runs with a bases-loaded single against the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field on Thursday, July 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Lakers AA second baseman Ostyn Brennan (10) charges a grounder against the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field on Thursday, July 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Lakers AA starting pitcher Carter Schlegel (5) delivers against the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field on Thursday, July 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Lakers AA third baseman Luke Nikunen (12) fields a grounder against the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field on Thursday, July 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Lakers AA second shortstop Kaden Drish (6) fields a grounder against the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field on Thursday, July 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Lakers AA third baseman Luke Nikunen (12) throws to first after fielding a grounder against the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field on Thursday, July 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Kalispell's Trever Cockerill (22) connects against the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field on Thursday, July 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Lakers AA second baseman Ostyn Brennan (10) fields a grounder against the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field on Thursday, July 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Kalispell's Luke Nikunen (12) connects on a single against the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field on Thursday, July 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Kalispell's Kaden Drish (6) connects on a single against the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field on Thursday, July 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Lakers AA pitcher Bryce Buckmaster (17) delivers against the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field on Thursday, July 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

by Daily Inter Lake
| July 19, 2024 12:00 AM

The Kalispell Lakers had their moments Wednesday while dropping the first two games in a Montana/Alberta Legion baseball series with the Billings Scarlets.

Thursday almost all those moments belonged to the first-place Scarlets, who scored in six of seven innings and won 14-2 at Griffin Field.

The sweep put the Scarlets’ record at 49-8, and 16-4 in conference games. The Lakers, who dropped Thursday’s games by the scores of 6-0 and 4-2, fell to 35-20 and 6-12.

The highlight: at one point the Lakers had solved lanky right-hander Drew McDowell’s straight overhand delivery to the tune of seven of nine hitters reaching base.

The hitch was with two on and two out in the fourth, Brady Buckmaster was gunned down at third as part of a double steal. Luke Nikunen, at the plate when that inning ended, led off the fourth with a single and soon — thanks to a two-run, bases-loaded single by Oscar Kallis — the Lakers had cut a 6-0 lead to 6-2.

McDowell recovered, wrapping two strikeouts around a walk to Andre Cephers before inducing a bases-loaded pop-up to end the inning.

Kalispell got no closer. Carter Schlegel led off the fifth with a single but was erased by a 5-4-3 double play; then Scarlets shortstop Kyler Northrop went deep in the hole to snare Kaden Drish’s grounder and getting the bang-bang out at first.

Northrop had another big game: Two more doubles — including a two-run job in the seventh inning as the runs piled up — and five runs batted in. He was 7-for-12 with nine RBIs in the series.

Kalispell gets little respite — the Lakers are in Helena, now second in the league, for three games Sunday and Monday. They’ll conclude their home schedule next Friday and Saturday (July 26-27) against the Great Falls Chargers.

Scarlets 123 013 4 - 14 8 0

AA Lakers 000 200 0 - 2 4 5

Drew McDowell, Nolan Berkram (7) and Jaron Pinter. Carter Schlegel, Trever Cockerill (3), Ostyn Brennan (5), Brady Buckmaster (6), Jackson Heino (7) and Andre Cephers.

BILLINGS SCARLETS — Berkram 1-4, Nate McDonald 1-3, Kyler Northrop 3-4, Hunter Doyle 0-2, Cody Callis 0-1, Brady Randall 0-4, Jakob Wilcox 2-4, Mason Brosseau 0-4, Pinter 0-3, Kade Vatnsdal 1-4.

KALISPELL AA LAKERS — Brennan 0-3, Brysen Herion 0-1, Schlegel 1-2, Heino 0-1, Luke Nikunen 1-2, Kaden Drish 1-3, Cockerill 0-2, Oscar Kallis 1-3, Michael Owens 0-2, Cephers 0-2, Buckmaster 0-1, Hunter Fann 0-1.

2B — Northrop 2, Wilcox. RBIs — Northrop 5, Wilcox 3, Vatnsdal.