By Ryan Divish/Havre Daily News Sports Editor/rdivish@havredailynews.com
East will meet west on Tuesday as the Eastern A District champion Glendive Blue Devils face the Western A District champion Libby Loggers in the semifinals of the Class A State American Legion Baseball Tournament at Legion Field.
Glendive rode its pitching directly into the semifinals, allowing just one run in two games.
The Blue Devils got solid performances from Greg Ford and Chase Downs on the mound. Ford allowed just one run in nine innings of work to lead Glendive to a 6-1 win over Belgrade on Saturday. The Blue Devils got an even better performance from Downs, who shut down the Lethbridge Miners in a 10-0 seven-inning win on Sunday to put the Devils in the semifinals against Libby.
The Loggers opened the tourney with an easy 13-7 win over Laurel and then followed it up with an 11-7 win over Havre.
Today's action will feature loser-out contests between Bitterroot and Glasgow at 9 a.m. and Billings against Belgrade at 12:30 p.m. The winners of those two games will face Lethbridge and Havre tonight in more loser-out action.
FRIDAY
Belgrade 8, Bitterroot 6
The Belgrade Bandits pulled off the upset of the tournament, shocking the defending Class A champion Bitterroot Red Sox 8-6.
Jace Hertzog did it all for the Bandits. The 6-7 16-year-old pitched all nine innings and delivered a clutch bases-loaded double off of Red Sox ace Brett Henry in the top of the ninth to put Belgrade up 7-6. Belgrade added an insurance run on a bases-loaded hit batter.
But Hertzog would only need the one run as he shut down the Red Sox in their final at-bat to secure the win.
Dan Filson led Belgrade with three hits and two RBIs, while Clint Marcott and Michael Bell added two hits each for the Bandits.
Bitterroot was led by Henry and Kyle Melton, who had three hits each.
Belgrade Bandits 000 031 004 - 8 11 4
Bitterroot Red Sox 110 000 400 - 6 13 1
Jace Hertzog and Joe Ramler; Dan McKinney (4), Cory Tintzman (3), Brett Henry (0), Ryan Curran (1) and Patrick McKay.
WP - Hertzog; LP - Henry.
BANDITS HITTING - Clint Marcott 2-5 (RBI), Michael Bell 2-5 (RBI), Eric Dighans 0-3, Dan Filson 3-4 (2 RBI), Jace Hertzog 1-3 (2 RBI), Scott Hayes 1-3, Casey Kenison 0-3, Joe Ramler 0-3, Jim Kleman 0-1, T.J. Ryles 1-1.
RED SOX HITTING - Kyle Melton 3-4, Jordan Mousley 1-5 (RBI), Lucky Barrett 1-3 (RBI), Brett Henry 3-5 (RBI), Ryan Curran 2-4, Patrick McKay 1-3, Ross Anderson 1-3 (2 RBI), David DeSantiago (RBI), Jess Gardner 0-3, Tyler Gillespie 0-1.
2B - Melton, Henry, Bell, Filson, Hertzog
3B - none
HR - none
Lethbridge 6, Glasgow 5
Lethbridge scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning off of reliever Tyler Edwards to come back for the win.
Glasgow led for most of the game after getting two runs in the second inning off of Lethbridge starter Matt Smith.
Joshua Daychief got things goings for Lethbridge in the ninth with a lead-off triple.
Jared Hirsche led the Miners with two hits, while Tyler Tamayose drove in a pair of runs.
Glasgow managed just four hits in the game, but capitalized on two Lethbridge errors for its four runs.
Lethbridge Miners 101 100 003 - 6 8 2
Glasgow Reds 020 020 100 - 5 4 2
Matt Smith and Tyler Tamayose; Michael Southern (8), Tyler Edwards (1) and Seth Combs.
WP - Smith; LP - Southern.
MINERS HITTING - Tyler Aiken 1-3 (RBI), Kellen Kristjanson 1-4, Brent Wirzba 1-2 (RBI), Tyler Tamayose 1-5 (2 RBI), Matt Smith 1-4 (RBI), Jared Hirsche 2-4, Nathan Gilchrist 0-2, Josh Daychief 1-3, Jeff Wilson 0-3, Mike Trautman 0-1.
REDS HITTING - Randy Elletson 1-3 (RBI), Jess McIntyre 1-3, Nathan Hopstad 0-4, Ken Reichelt 1-4, Nathan Doornek 1-4, Tyler Edwards 0-2, Seth Combs 0-1 (RBI), Michael Southern 0-3 (RBI), Shawn Wersal 0-2.
2B - none
3B - Daychief
HR - none
Libby 13, Laurel 7
The Libby Loggers banged out 19 hits and used three pitchers to secure the opening-round win. Brandon Laffoon had four hits and three RBIs to lead the Loggers. Laffoon started the game on the mound and picked up the win.
Justin Barnes also had four hits for Libby, while Zach Schad added three hits and a pair of RBIs.
Laurel was led by Scott Boeshans' two hits. Bryan Vanberg and Kyle Lonsbery drove in two runs each for Laurel.
Libby Loggers 001 306 030 - 13 19 0
Laurel Dodgers 030 004 000 - 7 7 2
Brandon Laffoon (3), Zach Schad (2), Justin Barnes (3) and Brady Turk; Drake Gradwohl (5), Bryan Vanberg (3) and Scott Boeshans
WP - Laffoon; LP - Gradwohl.
LOGGERS HITTING - Tim Spencer 2-5 (3 RBI), Jake Swartzendruber 1-5 (RBI), Mitch Mohr 2-6 (2 RBI), Nate Herbig 1-5 (RBI), Brandon Laffoon 4-5 (3 RBI), Brady Turk 2-4 (RBI), Cole Spencer 0-4, Zach Schad 3-5 (2 RBI), Justin Barnes 4-5.
DODGERS HITTING - Bryce Thomas 1-2, Bryan Vanberg 1-3 (2 RBI), Drake Gradwohl 0-1, Kyle Lonsbery 1-4 (2 RBI), Dane Yeager 1-5, Ryan Lowell 0-2, Greg Bland 0-4, Corey Willis 1-2, Scott Boeshans 2-4, Ivan Kosork 0-1.
2B - Mohr, Turk
3B - Herbig, Laffoon 2
HR - none
SATURDAY
Glendive 6, Belgrade 1
Greg Ford allowed one run on five hits in nine innings to lead Glendive to the win.
Ford, who pitched for North Dakota State University during the spring, struck out 16 Belgrade batters. His only earned run came in the third inning, when he walked Belgrade's Casey Kenison to start the inning. Kenison later scored on a fielders' choice on a Jim Kleman ground ball.
Offensively, the Blue Devils got three hits from Chase Downs. Ford helped his own cause, collecting two hits and driving in three runs. Joe Bakken and Evan Miller chipped in with two hits each.
Glendive Blue Devils 000 000 033 - 6 12 1
Belgrade Bandits 001 000 000 - 1 5 2
Greg Ford and Collin Radakovich; Clint Marcott (7), Eric Dighans and Joe Ramler, Luke Anderson.
WP - Ford; LP - Marcott.
BLUE DEVILS HITTING - Evan Miller 2-5, Matt Iba 1-4, Chase Downs 3-5, Joe Bakken 2-3 (RBI), Greg Ford 2-5 (3 RBI), Collin Radakovich 1-5, Logan Meiers 0-4, Andy Odenbach 1-4.
BANDITS HITTING - Clint Marcott 1-4, Michael Bell 0-4, Eric Dighans 1-4, Dan Filson 1-4, Jace Hertzog 0-3, Scott Hayes 1-2, Casey Kenison 1-2, Joe Ramler 0-1, Jim Kleman (RBI), Brad Mundt 0-1, Nathan Quattrocchi 0-1, T.J. Ryles 0-2.
2B - Downs, Bakken
3B - none
HR - none
Lethbridge 26, Billings 9
Lethbridge exploded for 12 runs in the seventh inning to turn a somewhat close game into a blowout.
Billing took a 6-2 lead after three innings. However, a nasty collision between Chris Round and Dustin Luedt in the outfield took the momentum away from the Blue Jays. Both players were forced to leave the game with Round being flown to Billings for urgent care. Billings never seemed to recover from the loss.
Lethbridge scored three runs in the fourth and fifth innings to pull ahead. The Miners got six runs in the sixth inning to start to pull away.
Tyler Tamayose led Lethbridge with two hits and five RBIs, including a two-run home run in the first innings. Matt Smith and Josh Daychief had three hits each and combined to drive in five runs. The Miners finished with 18 hits as a team.
Billings was led by Eric Fladmo, who had two hits and five RBIs. Fladmo also had a two-run homer in the fourth inning.
Lethbridge Miners 200 336 12 - 26 18 1
Billings Blue Jays 330 210 0 - 9 11 2
Brent Wirzba (6), Kellen Kristjanson and Tyler Tamayose, Matt Smith; Tom Ackerman (4), Jerod Zwicker (1), Chandler Griffin (1), Tom Markovich (1) and Jamie Rains.
WP - Kristjanson; LP - Griffin.
MINERS HITTING - Tyler Aiken 2-5 (3 RBI), Brent Wirzba 2-5 (RBI), Tyler Tamayose 2-5 (5 RBI), Matt Smith 3-4 (3 RBI), Jared Hirsche 1-6 (RBI), Michale Trautman 1-2, Nathan Gilchrist 2-3, Josh Daychief 3-4 (2 RBI), Jeff Wilson 2-4 (3 RBI), Kellen Kristjanson 0-1.
BLUE JAYS HITTING - Chris Round 0-2, Robert Stabio 2-3 (RBI), Tom Ackerman 1-2 (RBI), Eric Fladmo 2-2 (5 RBI), Dustin Luedt 2-3 (2 RBI), Josh Link 0-2, Chandler Griffin 0-3, Tom Markovich 2-3, Chase Bryson 1-3, Mo Burrough 0-2, Cade Helmer 1-1, Kyle Vierthaler 0-1.
2B - Hirsche, Daychief, Fladmo, Luedt
3B - none
HR - Tamayose, Fladmo
SUNDAY
Glasgow 8, Laurel 1
Glasgow stayed alive in the tournament thanks to the solid pitching of Randy Elletson.
Elletson worked all nine innings, allowing just one run on two hits. He struck out six batters and walked three.
Elletson also contributed at the plate, banging out a pair of hits and driving in a run. Seth Combs and Tyler Edwards also had two hits each for Glasgow.
Laurel got hits from Bryce Thomas and Bryan Vanberg.
Laurel Dodgers 001 000 000 - 1 2 4
Glasgow Reds 010 201 22x - 8 11 2
Corey Wills (6), Kyle Lonsbery (2) and Scott Boeshans; Randy Elletson and Seth Combs.
WP - Elletson; LP - Willis.
DODGERS HITTING - Bryce Thomas 1-2, Bryan Vanberg 1-4 (RBI), Drake Gradwohl 0-4, Kyle Lonsbery 0-4, Ryan Lowell 0-3, Greg Bland 0-3, Josh Pickering 0-3, Bobby Womboldt 0-3, Scott Boeshans 0-3.
REDS HITTING - Randy Elletson 2-5 (RBI), Jesse McIntyre 1-3, Nathan Hopstad 1-4 (RBI), Ken Reichelt 1-5 (2 RBI), Nathan Doornek 1-4, Tyler Edwards 2-3 (RBI), Seth Combs 2-4 (2 RBI), Torey Rasmusan 1-3 (RBI), Shawn Wersal 0-4.
2B - Thomas, Hopstad, Edwards
3B - none
HR - none
Belgrade 4, Vauxhall 1
The Belgrade Bandits scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to overcome a three-run deficit and hang on for a win to eliminate the Vauxhall Spurs.
Vauxhall grabbed an early 2-0 lead on Travis Senkow's two-run single. Spurs starter Phillip Vilay kept the Bandits off balance for the next seven innings. The Spurs tacked on another run on a Brandon Odland RBI single to go up 3-0.
Belgrade got RBI singles from Clint Marcott and Dan Filson in its big inning, while capitalizing on a couple of Vauxhall miscues.
The Bandits managed just three hits in the game.
Scott Hayes picked up the win, going seven innings and allowing three runs on seven hits. Michael Bell got the save, pitching two innings of scoreless relief.
Vauxhall Spurs 200 000 100 - 3 7 4
Belgrade Bandits 000 000 40x - 4 3 2
Phil Vilay (6), Matt Davis (2) and Brendon Odlund; Scott Hayes (7), Michael Bell (2) and Luke Anderson.
WP - Hayes; LP - Davis.
SPURS HITTING - Chad Munro 2-5, Brendon Odlund 2-4 (RBI), Taylor Howg 0-2, Matt Davis 2-4, Travis Senkow 1-3 (2 RBI), Jaden Odland 0-3, Tyan Williams 0-4, Damon Howg 0-4, Brett Conrad 0-4.
BANDITS HITTING - Clint Marcott 1-4 (RBI), Michael Bell 0-4, Eric Dighans 0-3 (RBI), Dan Filson 1-2 (RBI), Jace Hertzog 0-4, Nathan Quattrocchi 0-2, Casey Kenison 1-4, Luke Anderson 0-3, Brad Mundt 0-2 (RBI), T.J. Ryles 0-1.
2B - Munro
3B - none
HR - none
Glendive 10, Lethbridge 0
Glendive capitalized on three early Lethbridge errors to build a 6-0 lead after two innings.
The Blue Devils didn't need many runs, as starting pitcher Chase Downs limited Lethbridge to just two hits in seven innings. Downs struck out six batters and overcame four walks to hang on for the shutout.
Downs was also effective on offense, ripping three hits and driving in three runs to lead the Blue Devils. Logan Meiers added three hits for Glendive.
Jared Hirsche and Kurtis Kaskiw picked up Lethbridge's hits, while Tyler Tamayose was saddled with the loss.
Glendive Blue Devils 240 001 3 - 10 13 2
Lethbridge Miners 000 000 0 - 0 2 5
Chase Downs and Collin Radakovich; Tyler Tamayose (6), Jeff Wilson (1) and Matt Smith
WP - Downs; LP - Tamayose.
BLUE DEVILS HITTING - Evan Miller 1-3 (RBI), Matt Iba 1-3, Chase Downs 3-5 (3 RBI), Greg Ford 1-4, Joe Bakken 1-4 (2 RBI), Collin Radakovich 1-5, Logan Meiers 3-5 (RBI), Andy Odenbach 1-1, Jason Erickson 1-5.
MINERS HITTING - Tyler Aiken 0-4, Kellon Kristjanson 0-3, Tyler Tamayose 0-3, Matt Smith 0-2, Jared Hirsche 1-2, Brent Wirzba 0-3, Nathan Gilchrist 0-2, Josh Daychief 0-2, Jeff Wilson 0-3, Kurtis Kaskiw
2B - Downs
3B - none
HR - none
