MAC baseball drops close game against Missoula Hellgate
MAX DUPRAS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 days, 4 hours AGO
MAC junior pitcher Jason Leishman throws a pitch on April 4 against Missoula Hellgate at Kelly Pine Field in Bonner. (Max Dupras/Leader)
MAC batter Easton Volinkaty takes a swing at a pitch on April 4 against Missoula Hellgate at Kelly Pine Field in Bonner. (Max Dupras/Leader)
MAC outfielder Jake Helser stands in preparation for a hit on April 4 against Missoula Hellgate at Kelly Pine Field in Bonner. (Max Dupras/Leader)
MAC batter Macklen McDonald jogs to first base on April 4 against Missoula Hellgate at Kelly Pine Field in Bonner. (Max Dupras/Leader)
Max Dupras joined the Lake County Leader as a sports reporter in January of 2026. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Montana. Max is a lifelong Montana resident, growing up watching Griz sports in Missoula. He has covered sports and news for multiple publications, including the Rapid City Journal, NonStop Local News and the Montana Kaimin. He is also a former intern of the Lake County Leader, having covered everything from city council meetings to wildfires. He covers sports for all Lake County schools. Reach out to Max at [email protected] or 406.531.0978 | April 9, 2026 12:00 AM
It was not an easy week for the local baseball teams, with rain causing delays and even cancellations. Still, the Mission/Arlee/Charlo Bulldogs took on Missoula Hellgate in Bonner.
Hellgate 4, MAC Baseball 2
In a chilly but sunny outing at Kelly Pine Field, the Bulldogs took on the Knights on April 4 in the only Lake County baseball game of the week.
For the Bulldogs, it looked like a tough one early as the Knights held the Bulldogs scoreless in the first inning while scoring two runs.
However, the Bulldogs found their rhythm defensively. Pitcher Jason Leishman was able to reel in his pitches in the second inning and contained the Knights going into the third.
Despite two strong defensive innings, no runs scored led to the Bulldogs wearing out their starting pitcher heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. Leishman allowed another run to go down 3-0 before getting swapped for Ronson Hout.
Another scoreless inning in the fifth from both teams led to the most successful offensive inning of the day for the Bulldogs in the sixth. In a game where hits didn’t guarantee anything, only one was needed to put the Bulldogs back into this one.
Left fielder Colt Hammond used his only hit of the game to score two runs with Hout and Easton Volinkaty coming in to score those.
MAC trailed 3-2 with a chance to take momentum going into the last two innings. Despite that, the Knights rallied as well in the sixth inning with Hellgate’s Kevin Payne earning a single to left field to help bring in Liam Osteen for the 4-2 lead.
MAC couldn’t get on the board in the seventh inning, ending the game with a comeback that just came up short.
The Bulldogs saw two batters get two hits in Leishman and Jake Helser. Hammond was the only batter to score any runs with his single hit.
MAC batter Easton Volinkaty takes a swing at a pitch on April 4 against Missoula Hellgate at Kelly Pine Field in Bonner. (Max Dupras/Leader)
MAC outfielder Jake Helser stands in preparation for a hit on April 4 against Missoula Hellgate at Kelly Pine Field in Bonner. (Max Dupras/Leader)
MAC batter Macklen McDonald jogs to first base on April 4 against Missoula Hellgate at Kelly Pine Field in Bonner. (Max Dupras/Leader)ARTICLES BY MAX DUPRAS
Varsity Sports Calendar
Take a look at this week in Lake County sports!
Buttercup Run helps fund Arlee teacher grants
It was a cool, sunny day as runners took their places in front of the Arlee Community Center for the annual Buttercup Run on April 4. Every year, the event raises money for mini-grants for teachers who work for Arlee Schools. The money that goes into participating in any of the three courses goes back to education.
Polson beats Ronan, Stevensville in tennis takedown
The tennis courts were hot after a rainy start to the weekend, as the Polson and Ronan tennis teams played each other, with Stevensville also participating on April 4. It was another successful week for Polson as they swept this weekend’s slate, while Stevensville and Ronan struggled to keep up with a team that is looking like a potential state tournament contender.