Coopman, Braves rout Bison, go 1-1 on the day

Now that’s a bounce-back.

Eli Coopman homered, doubled and drove in four runs Saturday as Flathead, down 5-0 early, rallied to beat Great Falls High 15-5 in non-conference high school baseball at ABS Park. 

The win gave the Braves a split with the Great Falls schools: CMR beat Flathead 6-4 in an early game that featured just one hit from each team. 

CMR 6, Flathead 4

Eli Coopman’s two-run single capped a three-run third inning for the Braves, but their 4-2 lead was short-lived. 

Great Falls CMR used a hit batter, two walks, a passed ball, an RBI groundout by Kayden Neil and another passed ball to score three times in the fourth inning. 

The Rustlers (7-3) tacked on an insurance run when Kane Mahlum walked, stole second, took third on a passed ball and scored on Roehrich Saldano’s grounder. 

In all the visitors worked three Flathead pitchers for 17 walks, plus had two hit by pitches — and left 13 men on base. 

Meanwhile Grayson Sloan threw 4 1-3 innings of hitless relief for CMR. He walked three and fanned four. 

CMR    101    300    1    -    6    1    3 

Flathead    013    000    0    -    4    1    1

Deuce Nichols, Grayson Sloan (3) and Kane Mahlum. Eli Coopman, Liam Rech (3), Myles Arrowsmith (4) and Leum Saisbury, Matthew Lewis. 

GREAT FALLS CMR — Carson Hollern 0-2, Roehrich Soldano 0-3, Jackson Maphies 0-0, Gavin Gray 0-4, Kayden Neil 0-4, Connor Rudolph 0-0, Madden Jensen 1-3, Maks Van Miert 0-1, Mahlum 0-3. 

FLATHEAD — Dillon Wink 0-3, Hunter Fann 0-2, Rech 0-4, Saisbury 0-3, Lewis 0-0, Micah Engle 0-3, Jacobe Sullenger 0-3, Coopman 1-2, Arrowsmith 0-2, Walter Gardner 0-2.  

RBIs — Soldano, Neil, Rudolph, Jensen, Coopman 2. 

Flathead 15, Great Falls 5

Things didn’t start great for the Braves, with five walks leading to a 5-0 Great Falls High lead through three innings. 

Then came the fourth, when Flathead sent 11 men to the plate. Coopman walked to lead off the inning, scored on Myles Arrowsmith’s double and the runs kept coming. Hunter Fann’s RBI triple tied the game at 5-all, and he scored on Liam Rech’s sacrifice fly. 

After a Leum Saisbury single Coopman came to the plate again and hit a two-run homer to right for an 8-5 lead. 

Micah Engle tripled and scored in Walter Gardiner’s single to spark a five-run fifth inning; Coopman capped that outburst with a two-run single. 

In the sixth Fann hit another RBI triple, and scored when the relay throw from the outfield go away. That made it 15-5 and ended the game under the mercy rule. 

Tyson Franchini-White went the distance on the hill for Flathead, allowing five hits, six walks and two earned runs. He struck out six. 

Great Falls    122    000    -    5    5    2 

Flathead    000    852    -    15    16    2

Rowan Garten, Cody Martin (4), Tyler Zech (6) and Jase Komac. Tyson Franchini-White and Leum Saisbury.  

GREAT FALLS — Garten 1-4, Oliver Braaten 1-3, Komac 1-2, Beau Carns 0-2, Kolton Kove 1-2, Ledger Tuckerman 1-2, Andrew Boutilier 0-3, Zach 0-3, Treven Brummett 0-3 

FLATHEAD — Wink 1-4, Fann 2-3, Rech 1-3, Saisbury 3-4, Coopman 2-3, Arrowsmith 2-4, Engle 2-4, Fischer Lee 1-3, Gardner 1-2. 

2B — Coopman, Arrowsmith. 3B — Fann 2, Engle. HR — Coopman. RBIs — Beau 33, Coopman 4, Fann 3, Gardner 2, Lee, Engle, Arrowsmith, Rech.