MISSOULA — Leif Ericksen came out of the bullpen and gutted through six innings on the mound, then doubled home the go-ahead runs in the ninth inning to keep the Kalispell Lakers’ season alive with a 9-6 win over the Billings Scarlets on Saturday night at the Montana/Alberta American Legion Class AA state baseball tournament at Lindborg-Cregg Field.

The win guarantees the Lakers (41-20) no worse than a third-place finish at the state tournament, their highest since 2009. Kalispell is two wins away from winning a state championship, something the program has not done since 1978.

Playing their fourth game in as many days Saturday, the Lakers quickly fell behind, trailing 3-0 after four innings against Billings, the double-elimination tournament’s only undefeated team. Kalispell rallied with three runs in the fifth to tie the score and Ericksen’s ninth-inning double broke a 5-5 tie and kicked off a four-run rally.

“First of all, it was a gutsy performance for our two guys on the mound,” Lakers coach Ryan Malmin said. “Logan DeCock went the first three innings after two innings of relief [Friday] and six innings on day one. He gave us everything he could.

“What Leif did, on two days rest,” he continued. “Was absolutely amazing.”

The ninth inning rally came with one out and started when Patrick O’Connell reached on an error. Andrew Schleusner singled next, bringing up Ericksen who doubled on a 3-1 pitch to plate both runners. Kalispell added runs later in the inning on another error and a Jayson Combs base hit.

Ericksen was 2 for 5 at the plate and allowed seven hits and three earned runs in six relief innings on the mound. He struck out three and walked two, recording the final out when Ben Tallman grounded into a fielder’s choice.

The Scarlets outhit the Lakers 14-13, getting three hits from Riley Bruns and Gordon Sueinson.

O’Connell and Schleusner had three hits each for the Lakers. Combs drove in a pair of runs.

Kalispell’s day begins at 1 p.m. today against the Lethbridge Elks. With a win, the Lakers would advance to the championship game, a rematch with the Scarlets at 4 p.m.

Kalispell 000 031 104 — 9 13 4

Billings 200 111 001 — 6 14 5

Logan DeCock, Leif Ericksen (4) and Tiler Whiteaker. Reese Queen, Matt Larsen (6), Brayden Huppert (9) and Ben Tallman. W — Ericksen. L — Larsen.

KALISPELL — Whiteaker 0-5, Jake Halland 1-4, Patrick O’Connell 3-5, Andrew Schleusner 3-5, Ericksen 2-5, Spencer Pisk 0-4, Haydn Schlepp 1-5, Micah Benson 1-2, Jayson Combs 2-5.

BILLINGS — Riley Bruns 3-5, Caje Golden 2-4, Gordon Sueinson 3-5, Jake McGovern 1-5, Jake Tallman 1-4, Lukas Funyak 2-5, B. Tallman 1-5, Cole Kramer 0-4, Jackson Cobb 1-4.

2B — O’Connell, Schleusner; Sueinson. 3B — Combs. RBIs — Combs 2, O’Connell, Schleusner, Schlepp, Benson; J. Tallman 2, Golden, Funyak, Kramer.