The Columbia Falls baseball team suffered a tough loss on the road against Bigfork in its season opener, 7-6 in a game that went nine innings .But on Tuesday at home they righted the ship and beat Polson 3-1 in a pitcher's duel.

The Wildcats played to a 4-4 draw through seven innings, and were up 6-4 in the top of the ninth.

In the top of the ninth Zeke Dunn hit a single with two on to score Nico Young and then Jett Pitts, who was at third, scored on an error to put the Cats up 6-4.

Pitts came in to pitch relief and secure the W, but things went awry.

Pitts walked the first Bigfork batter, struck out the next batter, but gave up another walk, so Bigfork had two on and a man on third. Then Viking Mason Lewis hit a single, driving in two runs.

Pitts struck out the next batter, but a passed ball allowed the Bigfork runner on third to score and the game ended, 7-6.

Young got the start, going 3-2/3 innings with two earned runs and seven strikeouts, but he also walked seven.

Dunn pitched 4-1/3, walked four and had nine strikeouts. Bigfork only had one hit in the  game, but was able to manufacture runs on the walks and sacrifice flies.

Columbia Falls had nine hits in contrast, but left too many runners stranded. Tristan Victor and Lincoln Fisher both had two hits for the Cats. Young had a double to give the Cats the lead in the top of the fourth.

Coach Chad Green said the team played pretty well, but gave up too many walks.

“We walked too many batters,” he said. “I felt like we were right around the strike zone.”

But he noted that the calls were consistent for both squads. The Cats just had a tough time capitalizing on their chances.

“You out-hit a team 9-1 you expect to win,” he said.

He was pleased that Fisher and Victor both hit the ball well in their first varsity starts and Dunn put on a perfect squeeze play to bring Young home in the ninth.

“The squeeze was perfect,” Green said.

Against Polson runs were hard to come by, but the Cats saw great pitching, as Pitts got the start on the bump, went three innings and fanned six.

Tayvin Beach cam in in relief and went the rest of the game, striking out five. The Cats scored two runs in the first, as Dunn drove in Fisher on a grounder and Pitts, who had a single in the inning, scored on a wild pitch.

They added another run the third. Polson lone run came on a homer off Beach in the seventh.