Twins top Lakers, set up semifinal with Red Sox
FLORENCE — Nolan Amerman drove in four runs on a pair of triples as the Glacier Twins defeated the Kalispell A Lakers 10-5 Friday at the Western A Legion Baseball Tournament.
In the other winners' bracket matchup Friday, the Bitterroot Red Sox walked off the Mission Valley Mariners on a Brandon Brenneman two-run single.
Bitterroot and Glacier meet on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. with the winner moving on to Sunday’s championship game.
Twins 10, Lakers 5
Glacier jumped in front early as Amerman’s first triple of the game drove in three runs and the Twins led 6-0 after two innings.
Cale Brink led the way for the Lakers at the plate, going 2-for-2 with three RBIs as Kalispell closed the deficit to 6-4 in the top of the fourth.
The Twins answered back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 9-4 and cruised in from there as both teams added a run in the sixth.
Kellen Kroger started on the mound for Glacier, going four innings and allowing four runs on four hits. He struck out two.
Dawson Juntunen finished out the final three innings, allowing one run on two hits.
Max Schara opened the game on the mound for the Lakers, throwing two innings. Kyler Croft, Beau McEwen and Wyatt Sharp combined to finish out the final four innings.
Kalispell falls into Saturday’s loser’s bracket game against the Bitterroot Bucs at 8:30 p.m.
Bitterroot Red Sox 4, Mission Valley 3
Holden Emerson drove in all three runs for the Mariners, on 3-for-4 hitting as Mission Valley led heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Hunter Harness started the late rally for Bitterroot with an RBI single before Brenneman’s heroics sent the Red Sox into Saturday’s semifinal.
Dawson DuMont started for the Mariners, going five innings and allowing just one run on three hits. He fanned eight.
Cole Wadsworth took over in the sixth throwing the rest of the game and allowing three runs on five hits.
Jackson Lubke went the distance for the Red Sox, allowing six hits and three runs. He struck out three.
Mission Valley falls into a loser's bracket game against Cranbrook at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Cranbrook 11, Libby 1
Cranbrook scored six runs in the fifth inning enroute to an 11-1 victory over the Libby Loggers Friday to stay alive.
Michael Clark led the Bandits with three RBIs on two hits, he crossed home twice himself. Seven different Cranbrook players picked up a hit.
Kale Riddle picked up the lone RBI for the Loggers, who finished the season 7-34.
Cy Williams opened the game for Libby, going four innings. Noah Gillespie and Cody Todd combined to finish out the final two innings.
Bitterroot Bucs 14, Missoula 4
Drew Wagner homered to center and Jake Roth hit two doubles as the Bitterroot Bucs scored 14 straight runs to beat Missoula.
Owen Felton and Andrew Richardson singled in the first inning to help the Mavericks take a 4-0 lead.
Wagner's three-run shot put the Bucs ahead 5-4 and Levi Winters shut down Missoula from then on, delivering five shutout innings in relief.
Western A Tournament
July 25-28, Florence
Thursday
Kalispell Lakers 9, Cranbrook Bandits 1
Glacier Twins 4, Libby Loggers 1
Bitterroot Red Sox 1, Missoula Mavericks 0
Mission Valley Mariners 7, Bitterroot Bucs 6
Friday
Game 5: Cranbrook Bandits 11, Libby Loggers 1
Game 6: Bitterroot Bucs 14, Missoula Mavericks 4
Game 7: Glacier Twins 10, Kalispell Lakers 5
Game 8: Bitterroot Red Sox 4, Mission Valley Mariners 3
Saturday
Game 9: Kalispell Lakers (31-25) vs. Bitterroot Bucs (26-13), 8:30 a.m.
Game 10: Mission Valley Mariners (25-17) vs. Cranbrook Bandits (20-18), 11:30 a.m.
Game 11: Glacier Twins (26-11) vs. Bitterroot Red Sox (28-10), semifinal, 2:30 p.m.
Game 12: Winner 10 vs. Winner 9, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday
Game 13: Loser 11 vs. Winner 12, semifinal, 10 a.m.
Game 14: Winner 11 vs. Winner 13, championship, 1 p.m.
Game 15: If necessary, TBD