AA Lakers nab two wins over Great Falls on Alumni Night

Kalispell's Ostyn Brennan (10) scores from second base on a single up the middle by Luke Nikunen in the second inning against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Kalispell first baseman Michael Owens (8) tags out Great Falls' Cole Pace (4) on a snap throw from Lakers catcher Ostyn Brennan in the second inning at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Kalispell's Trever Cockerill (22) drives in two runs with a double in the first inning against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Kalispell's Ostyn Brennan (10), Luke Nikunen (12), Brysen Herion (23), Kaden Drish (6) and Bryce Buckmaster (17) celebrate after Trever Cockerill's two-run double plated Nikunen and Drish in the first inning against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Kalispell starting pitcher Oscar Kallis (3) delivers in the first inning against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Lakers head coach Ryan Malmin talks to the team in between innings against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Lakers right fielder Bryce Buckmaster (17) makes a diving catch in the fifth inning against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Kalispell shortstop Kaden Drish (6) fires to first for a double play against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Kalispell's Bryce Buckmaster (17) scores from third on a sacrifice fly by Carter Schlegel in the second inning against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Kalispell's Luke Nikunen (12) drives in Ostyn Brennan with a single in the second inning against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Kalispell's Trever Cockerill (22) congratulates Ostyn Brennan (10) after Brennan scored in the fourth inning against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Kalispell second baseman Carter Schlegel (5) fields a grounder against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Kalispell's Ostyn Brennan (10) connects on a single in the second inning against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Kalispell's Bryce Buckmaster (17) connects on a single against Great Falls at Griffin Field on Friday, July 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

by Daily Inter Lake
| July 27, 2024 12:00 AM

On the night Kalispell honored all former Lakers, the current squad grabbed a pair of critical wins over the Great Falls Chargers Friday.

Luke Nikunen picked up three hits in game one and Michael Owens doubled in each game as the Lakers picked up a 14-4 win in the first game and a 5-3 win in game two.

Oscar Kallis started in game one, allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out four.

Trever Cockerill put the Lakers (37-23) out in front in the first with a two-run double. Kallis added another run on a single to make it 3-0 Kalispell.

Nikunen added a run in the second on his second single of the night as the Lakers took a 5-0 lead after two.

Great Falls (28-38-1) answered in the third with three runs, including a two-RBI single from Carson Hollern to centerfield.

Kalispell broke it open in the fourth as they plated four to extend it to a 9-4 game. The Lakers scored in five of the six innings.

AJ Sloan took the mound for the Chargers, going 3 2-3 innings and striking out three.

In the second game Kalispell jumped in front in the fourth inning with four runs, including a RBI double from Owens.

Liam Sullivan drove in a pair of runs for the Chargers in the fifth inning as Great Falls closed the deficit to 4-3.

The Lakers added an insurance run in the sixth inning as Andre Cephers scored on an error after stealing second.

Ostyn Brennan picked up the win after going five innings and allowing three runs on two hits. He fanned nine.

Cockerill closed out the win with two innings of shutout pitching and four strikeouts.

The teams close out the three game set on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Game 1

Great Falls 003 001 - 4 7 4

Kalispell 320 432 - 14 15 1

Oscar Kallis, Trever Cockerill and Ostyn Brennan. AJ Sloan, Gavin Gray, Walker Parsons and Jace Korac

GREAT FALLS CHARGERS — Liam Sullivan 2-4, Scotty Klinker 1-3, Noah Banderob 0-2, Carson Hollern 1-3, Cole Pace 1-3, Rowan Garten 0-3, Ethan Lorang 0-3, Dawson Cook 2-3, Jace Komac 0-1.

KALISPELL AA LAKERS — Ostyn Brennan 3-4, Carter Schlegel 1-2, Luke Nikunen 3-3, Kaden Drish 1-3, Trever Cockerill 1-4, Oscar Kallis 1-2, Michael Owens 2-4, Andre Cephers 1-4, Bryce Buckmaster 2-3, Colin Leonard 0-0.

2B — Owens, Cockerill, Sullivan. RBI — Nikunen 3, Schlegel 2, Cockerill 2, Drish, Kallis, Hollern 2, Klinker, Cook.

Game 2

Great Falls 000 030 0 - 3 5 5

Kalispell 000 401 x - 5 5 1

Ostyn Brennan, Trever Cockerill and Andre Cephers

GREAT FALLS CHARGERS — Liam Sullivan 2-3, Noah Banderob 0-3, Carson Hollern 1-4, Cole Pace 0-4, Rowan Garten 0-3, Ethan Lorang 0-3, Jackson Maphies 0-1, Dawson Cook 1-3, Jace Komac 1-3.

KALISPELL AA LAKERS — Ostyn Brennan 0-4, Carter Schlegel 0-3, Luke Nikunen 0-3, Kaden Drish 2-3, Trever Cockerill 1-2, Oscar Kallis 0-3, Michael Owens 1-3, Andre Cephers 1-1, Bryce Buckmaster 0-2.

2B — Drish, Owens, Hollern. RBI — Kallis, Owens, Sullivan 2.