The Kalispell Lakers A hit around the order in the fifth inning and scored seven runs in the process, enough to hold off a strong effort by Libby in an 8-6 conference American Legion baseball victory on Wednesday at Griffin Field.

The Lakers entered the home half of the fifth tied at 1-1 after each team scored a run in the inning before, Kalispell first on an RBI double from Haydn Schlepp and Libby answering with Dylan Lane walking in a run.

Eric Seaman got on base with a single on the first pitch of the fifth before Torin Bowden crushed a 3-1 selection to center field for an RBI triple, keying a long run for the Lakers. Kalispell picked up hits in four of its next five at-bats and recorded seven hits in the inning to score seven runs and take a commanding 8-1 lead.

The score would hold until the ninth, when the Loggers were able to finally mount a rally after stranding six runners in three innings preceding the final frame.

Oliver Grupenhoff led off the ninth with a single and Lane reached on a walk before consecutive strikeouts pushed the Loggers to a brink of a loss. Taylor Wisdom reached on a walk and the next two batters hit hard singles at the Kalispell shortstop and reached on errors, scoring a pair of runs.

Collin Johnson roped a double to the outfield wall to score two more runs and Jared Winslow came to the plate with a chance to tie the game, but grounded out to the pitcher to end the contest.

“The last couple of games we’ve gone down early and rallied late, it just hasn’t been enough” Loggers coach Kelly Morford said.

“We left too many runners on base early. Made a few mistakes that gave them opportunities. Credit to those guys, they swung the bats with runners in scoring position. We didn’t.

“I’m glad we were able to come back at the end. I’m happy we were able to have a little bit of gut and stay in there.”

Johnson was 2 for 4 with a pair of RBIs for the Loggers and Luke Haggerty picked up a pair of singles.  

Brooks Krause was 2 for 2 with an RBI and Jackson Pepe, Jonas Nyman and Seaman also had two hits for the Lakers, who combined for 11 hits. Six different Lakers recorded an RBI.

“We got 11 hits, we still left some guys on base,” Kalispell A coach Jesse McFarland said.

“This team hits the ball really well and they’re only going to get better.

“It was eight innings of clean baseball. We came off a pretty tough weekend in Missoula, defensively, so, to bounce back like that was a tribute to the kids. They went out and played a really clean game all the way up until the end when we made it interesting.”

Libby is back on the field on Friday for another nine-inning conference game against Kootenai Valley. The Lakers A play a doubleheader in Missoula on Saturday.

Libby    000    010    005    —    6    6    3

Kalispell    000    170    00x    —    8    11    3

Braydan Thom, Luke Haggerty (5) and Oliver Grupenhoff. Torin Bowden, Spencer Pisk (6), Brooks Krause (8) and Haydn Schlepp.

LIBBY — Haggerty 2-5, Collin Johnson 2-4, Jared Winslow 0-6, Grupenhoff 1-3, Dylan Lane 0-2, Erik Lauer 0-5, Thom 1-4, Taylor Wisdom 0-3, Mason Chapel 0-3.

LAKERS A — Krause 2-2, Gunnar Marsh 0-4, Jackson Pepe 2-5, Jonas Nyman 2-5, Pisk 1-3, Schlepp 1-4, Cade White 0-4, Eric Seaman 2-3, Bowden 1-2, Dalton Smith 0-1.

2B — Johnson. Schlepp. 3B — Bowden. RBIs — Lane, Johnson 2. Schlepp, Bowden, Krause, Pepe, Pisk, Seaman.