Lakers drop State AA opener, 2-1
MEDICINE HAT, Alberta — The pitching was sharp and the seventh-inning rally almost happened, but the Kalispell Lakers dropped their opening game at the Montana/Alberta AA Legion tournament Wednesday, 2-1 to the Billings Scarlets.
The Scarlets (32-13) moved on to Thursday’s 4 p.m. game, against the Missoula Mavericks. The Mavericks shut out Great Falls 2-0 Wednesday. The Chargers play the Lakers (37-20) at 10 a.m. Thursday.
It will be their sixth meeting this season; the Lakers have won three matchups.
In Wednesday’s second game, the Billings Royals thumped Bozeman 14-4.
Host Medicine Hat battled top-seeded Helena before the Senators prevailed, 7-2 in the late game..
Scarlets 2, Lakers 1
The Scarlets turned two walks and RBI singles from Tyrelle Johnson and Cody Callis into a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and that was enough support for pitchers Zach McDonald and Luke Stryker.
McDonald went six innings, allowing three hits and striking out two. The Lakers got their run off him in the fifth: Andre Cephers hit a double — though Hunter Fann was tagged out going first to third on the play — and Kaeden Kahler followed with a one-out RBI single.
McDonald retired the next two hitters to end that rally and withstood a sixth-inning threat when both Carter Schlegel and Luke Nikunen lined out with a runner in scoring position.
With one out in the seventh, Cephers singled and Kahler drew a walk. But Slyker retired the next two hitters to nail down the save.
Cephers started on the hill for Kalispell and went three innings, with three hits and three walks allowed. Kyler Croft threw three innings of two-hit relief; he walked one and fanned one.
Lakers 000 010 0 - 1 4 3
Scarlets 020 000 x - 2 5 2
Andre Cephers, Kyler Croft (3) and Ostyn Brennan. Zach McDonald, Luke Slyker (7) and Michael Brew.
KALISPELL LAKERS – Brennan 0-3, Cale Brink 0-2, Carter Schlegel 1-3, Luke Nikunen 0-3, Hunter Fann 0-3, Cephers 2-3, Croft 0-0, Kaeden Kahler 1-2, Wyatt Asher 0-0, Oscar Kallis 0-3, Teagan Dixon 0-3.
BILLINGS SCARLETS – Cody Callis 2-3, Brady Randall 0-3, B Leland 1-3, Jakob Wilcox 0-3, K Ballard 0-1, Oliver Prill 0-1, Kade Vatnsdal 0-1, Howie Martih 0-2, Brew 1-3, Tyrelle Johnson 1-3.
2B – Cephers. RBIs – Kahler. Collis, Johnson.
Mavericks 2, Chargers 0
Schuyler Fairchild and Andrew Richardson combined on a three-hit shutout for Missoula, and the Mavs scored two unearned runs in the sixth inning.
There were two out when Colter Nicolarsen reached on an error; Rylan Davis followed with a single, and then Kaden Thennis hit a grounder that got through the shortstop for another error, scoring Nicolarsen. Yet another error — on a grounder to first — scored Davis.
Fairchild cruised, going 6 2-3 innings. Richardson took over for one batter, who lined out to center to end the game.
Liam Sullivan, Cole Pace and Chase Little had the Great Falls hits. Deuce Nichols threw six strong innings for the Chargers, allowing two hits and one walk. He fanned seven.
Royals 14, Bucks 4
Paxton Fitch hit a solo home run and scored four times, and CJ Jenkins-Antle had three singles and drove in four runs for the Royals.
Billings trailed 3-1 before scoring six times in the bottom of the second inning. The Bucks still led 3-2 and had two out when the Royals got an RBI double from Ryder Murdock, an RBI single from Chaise Tracy and a two-run single from Jenkins-Antle. In between, an error and a wild pitch let in two more runs.
In the fourth the Bucks allowed three walks, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch to score a runner and gave up Jenkins-Antle’s RBI double to fall behind 12-4.
Connor Smith’s RBI single in the fifth made it 14-4 and ended the game under the mercy rule.
Bozeman got two hits each from Quinn Pershing, Jacob Snyder, Cody Smith and Sam Talbot.
Senators 7, Monarchs 2
An error, a single and a wild pitch gave Helena the go-ahead run in the third inning, and the Senators pulled away from host Medicine Hat in the fifth and sixth.
Carter Perlinski’s three-run home run put Helena up 5-1 in the fifth; Kai Richey’s two-run single in the sixth made it 7-1.
Tyler Beaver scattered six hits, a walk and a hit batter in 5 1-3 innings for the Senators, who were the home team. He struck out two. Eli Peterson got the final five outs on the hill.
Kaleb Bozek had three hits and an RBI for Medicine Hat.
Montana/Alberta Legion
State AA Tournament
July 30-Aug. 3, Medicine Hat
Wednesday, July 30
Game 1: Billings Scarlets 2, Kalispell Lakers 1
Game 2: Billings Royals 14, Bozeman Bucks 4
Game 3: Missoula Mavericks 2, Great Falls Chargers 0
Game 4: Helena Senators 7, Medicine Hat Monarchs 2
Thursday, July 31
Game 5: Kalispell (37-20) vs. Great Falls (36-33), 10 a.m.
Game 6: Bozeman Bucks (31-22) vs. Medicine Hat (8-30), 1 p.m.
Game 7: Billings Scarlets (32-13) vs. Missoula Mavericks (49-24), 4 p.m.
Game 8: Billings Royals (27-17) vs. Helena (45-25), 7 p.m..
Friday, Aug. 1
Game 9: Winner 6 vs. Loser 7, 1 p.m.
Game 10: Winner 5 vs. Loser 8, 4 p.m.
Game 11: Winner 7 vs. Winner 8, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 2
Game 12: Winner 10 vs. Loser 11, 1 p.m.*
Game 13: Winner 9 vs. Winner 11, 4 p.m.*
*-Tournament rematches to be avoided, if possible
Sunday, Aug. 3
Game 14: Winner 12 vs. Winner 13, 11 a.m., championship
Game 15: If necessary