AA Lakers take opener from Scarlets
Daily Inter Lake | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 5 years, 4 months AGO
BILLINGS — Max Holden threw six strong innings and Kael Willis doubled twice and scored twice as the Kalispell Lakers beat the Billings Scarlets 5-3 Friday at Dehler Park.
The win was the first game of a Montana AA American Legion doubleheader; the second game had not ended at press time.
The Lakers (22-7-1) never trailed in the opener. Grady Drish’s squeeze bunt brought home Willis, who’d doubled, in the fifth; Gage Brink followed with an RBI single to put the Lakers up 3-0.
After the Scarlets struck for two runs against Holden, the Lakers answered with two in the top of the sixth, all with two out: Kernan singled and came in on Willis’ second double, and Carver Van Aken singled in Willis. That made it 5-2.
Gage Brink also had an RBI double in the third for Kalispell.
Holden scattered seven hits and a walk and struck out three. Kostya Hoffman pitched a scoreless seventh for the save.
The Lakers play Billings today in another doubleheader set to start at noon.
Lakers AA 001 022 0 - 5 8 1
Scarlets 000 021 0 - 3 8 0
Max Holden, Kosta Hoffman (7) and n/a. Bradley Wagner, Kolten Wynia and Rocco Gioioso.
KALISPELL LAKERS AA — Thomas O’Connell 1-1, Grady Drish 0-2, Gage Brink 2-3, Ethan Diede 0-4, Hoffman 0-3, Joseph Schlegel 0-4, Danny Kernan 1-3, Kael Willis 2-4, Elijah Owens 0-2, Carver Van Aken 2-3.
BILLINGS SCARLETS — Nate McDonald 1-3, Kyler Northrup 1-4, Michael Feralio 0-4, Gioioso 0-1, Spencer Berger 1-3, Jackson Schaubel 1-3, Jaden Sanchez 2-3, Luke Tallman 1-2, Jadyn Averill 1-3, Wagner 0-1.
2B — Willis 2, Brink. RBI — Brink 2, Drish, Willis, Van Aken, McDonald, Northrup, Sanchez.