Kroger, Wildcats top Eureka in baseball showdown

EUREKA — Kellen Kroger threw a complete game four-hitter and drove in the go ahead run in the sixth inning Tuesday, as Columbia Falls beat Eureka 6-2 in a key high school baseball game.

Kroger’s two-out single scored Reggie Sapa to break a 2-2 tie; Cody Schweikert followed with another base hit that scored Jett Pitts for a 4-2 lead.

The Wildcats (13-2) added two more runs in the seventh, on a sacrifice fly by Sapa and Pitts’ RBI single to win the battle of top Western teams. 

Those runs, as well as those in the sixth, were unearned: The host Lions (13-3) committed an error to start both innings, and had three misplays in the seventh.

Meanwhile Kroger allowed just one walk and one earned run while striking out 12. 

Eureka starting pitcher Tristan Butts overcame four walks in the first inning to throw solidly into the sixth. He allowed three hits, seven walks and four runs (one earned) in 5 2-3 innings. He fanned seven. 

The Lions forged ties at 1-1 on Tyce Van Orden’s RBI single in the first inning and 2-2 on AJ Truman’s RBI double in the third. Truman also finished the game on the bump.

Both teams are competing this weekend in the Sapa-Johnsrud Invitational tournament, at Glacier Bank Park. Ticket information can be found at gorangeriders.com.

Monday

Whitefish 14, Troy 1

TROY — Casey Eisenbarth doubled twice and drove in four runs — all of it in the seventh inning — and Otto Klein and two relievers stymied the Troy hitters as Whitefish took a 14-1 win in high school baseball Monday.

It was a 4-1 game when the Bulldogs (6-9) came to bat in the seventh inning. They sent 15 hitters to the plate, with Chris Schwaderer and Eisenbarth hitting back-to-back doubles, twice. Both of Eisenbarth’s doubles drove in two runs; the first made it 6-1 and the second capped the scoring.

Tait Orme also hit a double and drove in two for Whitefish. 

Avery Caton had a triple and two RBIs; Ryan Conklin had a triple among his three hits and also drove in two. Schwaderer had two RBIs.

Klein allowed five hits, no walks and one run — Mason Crowe’s RBI single in the third — in four innings on the hill. Brady Howke threw two scoreless frames and Talus Piatkowski struck out the side in the seventh.