DEER LODGE — A second place finish at a tourney in Libby two weeks ago was a tough performance for the Mission Valley Mariners to top.

But that’s just what they did, taking first at the Deer Lodge wood bat tourney this past weekend.

A narrow 3-2 victory over Great Falls put the Mariners in the championship where they avenged an early loss to Deer Lodge. After Deer Lodge snagged a 11-9 win over the Mariners early on, Mission Valley beat them 20-7 in the tourney final. It was good enough for gold and completed a long, hard week of baseball in excellent fashion.

“The kids are playing well,” Mariners coach Jami Hanson said. “They are starting to gel a little bit, starting to mesh. They’re really starting to come around.” 

The week started with success - not in Deer Lodge, but on the Mariner’s home turf in Polson the Tuesday before. The Mariners out-played the Class A Missoula Mavericks squad to take both double headers.

They won the first game 7-6. Tim Rausch blasted in two homers and Matt Detwiler added one more dinger for the Mariners. It was just that kind of day - maybe the air was thin - because in nightcap, Josh Rustad knocked another one out of the park for two runs, pacing the Mariners to a 3-2 win.

Rausch crossed the plate for the tie-breaking run on a passed ball in the 10th inning after stealing second and third. The momentum the Mariners carried over from the Libby tourney seemed to drop off after the games against the Mavs - but only temporarily. After two home losses to Helena the next day, the Mariners picked things back up where they left off in Deer Lodge.

The Mariners downed Dillon 8-3 in the first tourney game, then fell to Deer Lodge. They recovered to shut out Anaconda 10-0, with Riley Grogan and Spencer Trawick giving up just three hits from the mound.

Detwiler and Kyle Bagnell each had a pair of RBIs.

Next up, it was Salmon got a taste of the Mariner bats. Another shutout, this time by a score of 14-0, propelled the Mariners into the next day.

In the morning game, Bagnell led the Mariners to a 3-2 win over Great Falls. He threw 10 strikeouts and knocked out the first three innings one, two, three.

“I’d have to say that was his best pitching performance all season,” Hanson said. “He threw very well and had a lot of heart and desire. He wanted the ball.”

Bagnell completed the game for the win.

Mariner Cory Hardy had two hits for a pair of RBIs in the game.

In the championship, Spencer Trawick pitched the first part of the landslide win and Rustad closed for the Mariners.

Mission Valley played at the Class A Missoula Mavericks on Tuesday and begin play in their own Firecracker tourney at 6:30 p.m. today against Deer Lodge in Polson. Tourney play starts this morning at 8:30 a.m. The Mariners play Great Falls at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and play Silver Valley of Idaho and the Kootenai Valley Rangers at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Depending on the results, the Mariners may play in Consolation of Championship matches at 4 or 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The tournament features eight teams from as far away as British Columbia.