MISSOULA — The first thing you need to know about the Kalispell Lakers’ State AA Legion opener on Saturday is, Max Holden threw a whale of a game.

The rub is that Billings Scarlets’ hurler Drew McDonald was unhittable.

The Scarlets squeaked by the Lakers 1-0 Saturday at Lindborg-Cregg Field, with McDonald nearly completing a no-hitter: His 80th pitch gave him a 1-ball, 2-strike count against Kalispell hitter Oscar Kallis with two out in the seventh inning.

Then he was lifted — the 80-pitch limit allows McDowell to pitch Wednesday, if that opportunity presents itself — for lefty Kolten Wynia.

Two pitches later Wynia got a third strike, completing a no-no that was almost all McDowell. The righthander walked one — leadoff hitter Ostyn Brennan — hit two and struck out six.

“He did a good job of commanding his pitches in the zone, after the first batter,” Lakers’ coach Ryan Malmin said. “I didn’t feel that we were on time with his fastball. Whether it was mentality or it was a heavy ball or whatever, you have to give him credit.

“Not to be outshined, Max throws 72 pitches in six innings, gives up one unearned run and strikes out five. That’s a great pitchers duel. It’s just unfortunate offensively we couldn’t get that timely hit or get things going.”

The loss dropped the Lakers (34-22) into a 10 a.m. Sunday loser-out game with Bozeman; the Bucks (25-33) lost 6-2 to Great Falls Chargers in the tournament opener.

The Scarlets got their run in the third, getting singles from Colter Wilson and Nolan Berkram before a Laker error loaded the bases with one out.

Nathan McDonald followed with a sacrifice fly — Luke Nikunen made a diving snag of the low liner, or else the Scarlets would have put up a crooked number — and that was enough.

“Adam made a great play,” Malmin said. “I think they had three seeing-eye singles and we made some key plays out there. I think (Nikunen) had two of them.”

Kalispell got one runner as far as second base: Kallis was hit by a pitch to start the fifth, was bunted over and then stranded.

“Grind for Day 3,” said Malmin, whose squad next plays No. 8 seed Bozeman, a squad that swept three games from the seventh-seeded Lakers in June. The Scarlets, the two seed, take a 41-13 record into a 4 p.m. Sunday battle with the Chargers (31-26).

“This game shows there’s a lot of parity in the state,” Malmin said. “Give McDowell credit and their guys credit, but Max was phenomenal on the mound today.”

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Max Holden and Nate Skonard. Drew McDowell, Kolten Wynia (7) and Rocco Gioioso.

KALISPELL AA LAKERS — Ostyn Brennan 0-2, Adam Nikunen 0-3, Holden 0-3, Oscar Kallis 0-2, Carter Schlegel 0-2, Kaden Drish 0-2, Kane Morisaki 0-2, Skonard 0-2, Timmy Glanville 0-1.

BILLINGS SCARLETS — Nolan Berkram 1-3, Zach Stewart 0-3, Nathan McDonald 0-2, Hunter Doyle 1-3, Kyler Northrop 0-1, Gioioso 0-2, Jaden Sanchez 0-2, Colter Wilson 1-2, Kade Vatnsdal 0-2.

RBIs — McDonald.