AA Lakers sweep Senators

The Kalispell AA Lakers got a gem from pitcher Kostya Hoffman Saturday, beating the Helena Senators 5-1 to complete a doubleheader sweep of the defending State AA Legion baseball champions.

Hoffman threw a 3-hitter, allowed two walks and struck out three. He allowed one unearned run, in the sixth inning.

The Lakers (3-2) rallied late to beat Helena 5-4 in the first game at Griffin Field.

In the opener James Moody tied the game with a sixth-inning double that scored Elijah Owens, moved to third on an error by the Helena left fielder and scored the final run on a balk by the Senators’ Gavin Thennis. That made it 5-4.

Nic Gustafson worked around a two-out single by Eric Cockhill, striking out Carter Perlinski for the save. Asher Baines got the win in relief of Max Holden, who lasted five innings, scattering seven hits. Holden allowed two earned runs.

Leadoff hitter Haiden Bunyea had two hits and scored twice; Owens had two hits as well.

In the second game, Ostyn Brennan hit a third-inning two-run single to give Hoffman all the runs he needed.

In the fifth inning, Brennan, Moody and Grady Drish hit back-to-back doubles to start a three-run rally. Gustafson drove in Drish with a single to make it 5-0.

First game

Helena 211 000 0 - 4 8 2

Lakers AA 200 012 x 5 6 4

Hunter Bratcher, Gavin Thennis (4) and T. Mooney. Max Holden, Asher Baines 96), Nic Gustafson (7) and Grady Drish.

HELENA SENATORS — Tristen Mooney 2-4, Thennis 1-1, Bratcher 1-4, Eric Cockhill 2-4, Carter Perlinski 1-4, Hunter Wallis 1-3, Tycen Mooney 0-3, Brayden Beatty 0-3, Manu Melo 0-3.

KALISPELL LAKERS AA — Haiden Bunyea 2-3, Gage Brink 0-2, Holden 1-2, Kostya Hoffman 0-3, Elijah Owens 2-2, Ostyn Brennan 0-2, Kane Morisaki 0-2, James Moody 1-1, Jackson Nelson 0-3, Drish 0-3.

2B — Bratcher, Perlinski, Thomas, Moody. RBIs — Thennis, Bratcher, Perlinski, Walls, Owens, Moody.

Second game

Helena 000 000 0 - 0 3 1

Lakers AA 002 030 x - 5 9 1

Aaron Fuzesy, Sam Ark (4), Beatty (6) and T. Mooney. Hoffman and Drish.

SENATORS — Tr.Mooney 0-2, Payton Tavary 0-2, Thennis 0-3, Bratcher 1-3, Cockhill 1-3, Wallis 0-2, TyMooney 0-2, Will Lyng 1-3, Walker Bennett 0-3, Ark 0-2, Luke Dowdy 0-1.

LAKERS AA — Bunyea 1-4, Brink 0-2, Holden 1-3, Hoffman 0-3, Owens 1-3, Brennan 2-3, Mody 2-3, Drish 1-3, Gustafson 1-2.

2B — Brennan, Drish, Moody. RBIs — Brink 2, Hoffman, Owens, Gustafson.

A Lakers, Helena Reps split

HELENA — Oscar Kallis threw six strong innings and drove in two runs, helping the Kalispell A Lakers over the Helena Reps 10-2 to salvage a split of their Class A Legion doubleheader Saturday.

The Reps won the first game, 9-3.

In a three-run fourth inning that gave the Lakers (4-1) the lead for good, Kallis singled to score Joey Thatcher, who had doubled, and came around on Easton Capser’s single to make it 3-1.

The Lakers added five runs in the fifth, all with two out: Braden Capser’s sacrifice fly got things started, and Kent Fahnfander and Kallis both hit RBI doubles in the frame. The latter made it 9-1.

Kallis allowed four hits and two walks, no earned runs and struck out seven. The Lakers struck out 11 times on offense, but took advantage of the Reps’ defense for eight unearned runs.

In the first game, JR Hushka hit a grand slam during Helena’s eight-run second inning.

Kallis hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning as the Lakers closed to 8-3, but Kalispell managed just five hits against three Reps pitchers.

Second game

Lakers A 001 305 1 - 10 9 5

Reps 001 001 0 - 2 4 4

Oscar Kallis, Josh Close (7) and TJ Hayek. Colt Tietje and Cole Graham.

KALISPELL LAKERS A — Adam Nikunen 1-3, Joey Thatcher 1-3, Kallis 2-4, Michael Owens 0-4, Brysen Herion 0-3, Braden Capser 0-3, Easton Capser 3-4, TJ Hyack 0-1, Kent Fahnfander 2-4.

HELENA REPS — JR Huschka 0-3, Seth Nielsen 0-3, Nick Benson 2-3, Matt Coleman 0-4, Connor Devin 0-4, Cole Graham 1-2, Dylan Willcut 1-3, Zach Diveley 0-3, Jackson Cosgrove 0-2, Ian Mehrens 0-1.

2B — Fahnfander, Kallis, Thatcher. RBIs — Kallis 2, Nikunen, BCapser, ECapser, Hyack, Fahnfander, Benson.

First game

Lakers A 100 002 0 - 3 5

Reps 080 001 x - 9 8

Nikunen, B.Capser (3) and Nate Skonard. Nielsen, Isaac Penner (4), Grady Diehl (7) and Graham.

LAKERS A — Nikunen 1-3, Thatcher 0-2, Herion 1-2, Kallis 1-3, Oweens 1-3, E.Capser 0-3, B.Capser 0-2, Skonard 0-3, Tyler Williams 1-3, Kaden Drish 0-2, Hayek 0-1.

REPS — Huschka 1-3, Tietje 1-4, Benson 1-4, Coleman 2-3, Taylor Kopp 1-3, Devine 2-3, Lance Bratlein 0-2, Cole Graham 0-2, Ian Mehrens 0-2.

HR — Kallis, Hushka. RBIs — Kallis 2, Owens, Huschka 4, Coleman, Kopp, Mehrens.

Mission Valley sweeps Libby

LIBBY — Espn Fisher and Chris Lake combined on a five-inning one-hitter, as the Mission Valley Mariners rolled to a 20-0 Class A Legion win over Libby Saturday, completing a twinbill sweep of the Loggers.

Polson edged Libby 7-6 in eight innings in the first game, in what was the season opener for the Loggers.

The opener featured four runs by Mission Valley in the top of the seventh, and three in the bottom by the Loggers, leaving the game tied 6-6.

In the eighth Dawson DuMont’s sacrifice fly that scored Xavier Fisher, who’d been hit by a pitch and took third on an Alex Muzquiz single, was the game-winner. It was Fisher’s fourth run of the game.

Landon Haddock hit a two-run homer in the sixth to put Libby up 3-2, and Cy Williams hit a two-run double in the sixth to help the Loggers rally after Mission Valley went up 6-3 thanks in part to two errors.

In the second game Fisher went 3 1/3 innings and gave up the sole hit, by Williams. He walked four and struck out four. Lake finished up, walking two and striking out two. Fisher also got on base five times, three times with a walk, and scored four runs.

Xavier Fisher had four hits and scored three runs for the Mariners, who put up nine runs in the second inning and six more in the third.

Alex Muzquiz doubled and drove in three runs; Brock Henricksen scored four times and Dylan Davis and Keyen Nash had three hits each.

Four Libby pitchers surrendered 10 walks and 18 hits.