AA Lakers split with Scarlets; nab No. 6 seed to state
The Kalispell AA Lakers came reasonably close to sweeping the Billings Scarlets Friday night at Griffin Field, before settling for a split in Legion baseball.
The Lakers rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win the opener 5-3, before the Scarlets won the nightcap 6-3 behind Jaden Sanchez’ three-hitter.
The split left the Lakers with a 7-9 conference record in the Montana AA standings and 30-23 overall. They take the No. 6 seed into the State AA tournament and the Scarlets are the No. 3 seed — meaning the two teams will play again on Wednesday, at 7 p.m. at Dehler Park.
Gage Brink sparked the comeback in the first game with a two-run double in the third inning; in the fourth Max Holden hit a game-tying RBI double, then scored the go-ahead run on Elijah Owens’ squeeze bunt.
Owens reached first on the play, moved to third base on two more bunts and scored on Kostya Hoffman’s sacrifice fly.
Oscar Kallis got the win for Kalispell, scattering six hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out two. Nic Gustafson fanned three over the final two innings and earned the save.
The Lakers were rally-minded again in the nightcap, with Holden hitting a double and scoring on Drish’s sacrifice fly to pull the Lakers into a 3-3 tie in the sixth.
But in the seventh the Scarlets took advantage of a walk, an RBI double by Logan Nyberg, an error and Kolten Wynia’s sacrifice fly to score three times.
The Lakers went down in order in their half of the seventh against Sanchez, who walked three and struck out eight.
Scarlets 030 000 0 - 3 6 2
Lakers AA 002 300 x - 5 4 3
Hunter Doyle, Jadyn Averill (5) and Keaton Mickelson. Oscar Kallis, Nic Gustafson and Grady Drish.
BILLINGS SCARLETS — Nate McDonald 2-4, Kyler Northrop 1-3, Jaden Sanchez 0-1, Rocco Gioioso 0-4, Spencer Berger 0-4, Michael Feralio 1-4, Luke Tallman 1-4, Mickelson 1-2, Jaxson Brandt 0-3.
KALISPELL LAKERS AA — Ostyn Brennan 0-3, Kostya Hoffman 1-4, Gage Brink 1-4, Kallis 0-2, Gustafson 0-0, Haiden Bunyea 0-1, Max Holden 1-3, Elijah Owens 0-2, Drish 0-3, Jackson Nelson 1-1.
2B — Tallman, Brink, Holden. RBIs — McDonald, Northrup, Mickelson, Brink 2, Hoffman, Holden, Owens.
Scarlets 120 000 3 - 6 7 1
Lakers AA 100 011 0 - 3 3 1
Sanchez and Nick Schneider. Ostyn Brennan, Aaron Crutsinger (5), Asher Baines (6), Fletcher Postlewait (7) and Drish.
SCARLETS — McDonald 2-3, Northrop 2-3, Berger 0-3, Gioioso 1-3, Doyle 1-2, Drew McDowell 0-3, Logan Nyberg 1-4, Schneider 0-2, Kolten Wynia 0-3.
LAKERS AA — Brennan 0-3, Oscar Kallis 0-1, Kostya HOffman 0-1, Gage Brink 2-3, Haiden Bunyea 0-2, Max Holden 1-3, Kane Morisaki 0-1, James moody 0-0, Grady Drish 0-2, Elijah Owens 0-2, Nic Gustafson 1-3.
2B — Holden. RBIs — Northrop, Nyberg, Wynia, Drish.