BILLINGS — Patrick O’Connell’s single in the top of the seventh inning drove in two runs to give the Kalispell Lakers AA a 4-2 victory in the second game of a doubleheader and a split with the Billings Royals on Monday afternoon.

Billings won the American Legion baseball opener, 4-3.

“It was good to get a split, but we had an opportunity to get both,” Lakers coach Ryan Malmin said.

Leif Ericksen pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and two runs. He walked four batters and stuck out seven. Andrew Schleusner finished up for the win. He fanned one batter.

Both teams had five hits.

In the opener, the Lakers rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh but fell short.

Micah Benson and O’Connell were both 2 for 3 while Jacob Halland was 2 for 4.

Both teams had eight hits.

Halland doubled for the lone extra base hit in that one.

Dawson Smith went the distance on the mound for the Lakers. He struck out two and issued one walk.

Kalispell (32-16 overall, 6-6 league) hosts the Billings Scarlets for a doubleheader on Friday starting at 5 p.m. at Griffin Field.

Game 2

Kalispell 000 200 2 — 4 5 0

Billings 002 000 0 — 2 5 2

WP—Andrew Schleusner; LP—Cam Caciel.

KALISPELL — Tiler Whiteaker 1-3, Micah Benson 0-3, Patrick O’Connell 1-3, Jacob Halland 0-4, Leif Ericksen 1-3, Schleusner 0-2, Hayden Schlepp 1-2, Joe Broughton 0-3, Spencer Pisk 0-2, Jayson Combs 1-1.

BILLINGS — Patrick Zimmer 2-4, Jake Orvis 1-3, Cole McKenzie 1-4, Morgan Dugi 0-3, Pearce Kurth 0-3, Cody Frenk 0-2, Connor Polkowske 1-2, Chris Bushard 0-2, Brock MacDonald 0-2.

2B—Zimmer; RBIs—O’Connell (2), Schlepp; Zimmer, McKenzie.

Game 1

Kalispell 100 000 2 — 3 8 0

Billings 220 000 x — 4 8 2

WP—Ethan Davis; LP — Dawson Smith.

KALISPELL — Whiteaker 1-3, Benson 2-3, O’Connell 2-3, Halland 2-4, Ericksen 0-3, Schleusner 0-3, Schlepp 0-3, Pisk 1-3, Combs 0-3.

BILLINGS — Zimmer 1-2, Orvis 2-2, McKenzie 2-3, Kolten Weichman 0-2, Jarrett Leinwand 1-2, Dugi 0-3, Polkowske 1-3, Frenk 0-3, Carson Zale 1-3.

2B—Halland; RBIs—Benson, O’Connell, Halland; Zimmer, Weichman, Leinwand.