HELENA — Libby went up big early and held on to defeat Mission Valley 10-9 at the Cloninger Classic baseball tournament on Friday.

Trailing 4-1 after the second inning, the Loggers safely reached their first five batters in the top of the third, scoring seven runs in the inning. Libby led 9-4 in the fourth before Mission Valley mounted its comeback.

Zeke Webster-Yaqui led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run and the Mariners scored four runs over the next two innings to cut the lead back to one run. Trailing by two again in the bottom if the seventh, Webster-Yaqui hit a two-out triple and scored on an Alex Killian double three pitches later, but the Mission Valley rally couldn’t muster anything more.

The Cloninger Classic, hosted by the Helena Reps, finishes on Sunday.

Libby    107    101    0    —    10    11    7

Msn Valley    130    310    1    —    9    10    2

WP- Cameron Burkes. LP- Aaron Rassmussen.

LIBBY — Burkes 2-4, Brandon Sadewasser 0-1, Luke Haggerty 1-2, Will Reichel 3-3, Oliver Grupenhoff 1-3, Dylon Lane 1-3, Ryan Huffman 2-4, Erik Lauer 0-3, Braydan Thom 1-4, Collin Johnson 0-3.

MISSION VALLEY — Ryan Pablo 0-0, Brad Pitchler 2-5, Zeke Webster-Yaqui 2-4, Alex Killian 2-4, TJ Olson 1-4, Raymond Matt 0-3, Jacob Harrod 2-4, Jared Young 1-3, Micah McClure 0-3, Derek Peel 0-2.

2B — Burkes, Huffman, Killian 2. 3B — Webster-Yaqui. HR — Webster-Yaqui. RBI — Haggerty, Grupenhoff 3, Lane 2, Huffman 2, Johnson. Pitchler 2, Webster-Yaqui 2, Killian, Olson 2, Harrod, Young.

Helena Reps 6,

Mariners 2

HELENA — Helena scored six runs in the second inning and coasted to beat Mission Valley.

The Reps took an early 6-0 lead against the Mariners and didn’t need to do much more. Mission Valley scored one run in the fifth inning and another in the seventh, but not enough to dig out of its early hole.

Alex Killian, Bransen Krebs, Cole Snyder and Nyqolas Gillingham each had a hit for Mission Valley.

Msn Valley    000    010    1    —    2    4    1

Helena    060    000    x    —    6    6    3

WP – Payton Pappas, LP – Zeke Webster-Yaqui.

MISSION VALLEY — Trevor Paro 0-2, Alex Killian 1-3, Bradley Pichler 0-3, Bransen Krebs 1-4, Derek Peel 0-2, Brennan Abromoit 0-2, Webster-Yaqui 0-4, Cole Snyder 1-2, Nyqolas Gillingham 1-3.

HELENA — Ryan Dorvall 2-3, Reilly Leary 0-0, Eamon Byrne 0-2, Payton Pappas 0-2, Carter Pappas 0-2, Henry Bowers 1-2, Keinan Stief 1-3, Ryan Arntson 1-2, Jackson Maynard 1-3, Caleb Jackson 0-3.

2B – Bowers, Arntson; RBIs – Stief 2, Dorvall, P. Pappas, C. Pappas.