Schara shines as AA Lakers split with Royals

BILLINGS — Max Schara picked up the slack after a tough loss, pitching the Kalispell AA Lakers past the Billings Royals 6-1 in the second game of a Legion doubleheader Wednesday.

In the opener, Brady Baker’s two-out, two-run single capped a three-run seventh inning for the Royals in a 7-6 walk-off win. 

The loss stung Lakers, who broke a 4-4 tie in the sixth inning with Brady Buckmaster’s RBI single. The next batter, Liam Rech, reached on a misplayed fly ball and that scored Dillon Wink, who had singled. 

Severin Cellan and Anthony Ferguson sandwiched base hits around a walk to Paxton Finch to start the Royals’ seventh, cutting the Lakers’ lead to 6-5. Miles Arrowsmith came on in relief and struck out the next two batters before Baker singled up the middle on a 1-2 pitch. 

Micah Engle’s two-run double in the third inning sparked the Lakers’ offense; he then stole third and came home on Tait Orme’s sacrifice fly to put Kalispell up 3-1. Engle added an RBI single that put the Lakers ahead 4-2 in the fifth inning. 

Lakers bounce back 

Schara was sterling in the second game, going 6 2-3 innings and allowing five hits, three walks and one unearned run. 

He fanned eight and got a little help after issuing two walks in the seventh: George Schwan came on and got the next Royal hitter to fly out to Arrowsmith in right field. 

Rech and Arrowsmith singled to spark a two-run third inning for the Lakers; Teagan Dixon followed with a bunt that was thrown away for an error, scoring both baserunners.  

Kalispell went up 5-0 in the fourth, getting an RBI single from Wink, a run-scoring groundout from Buckmaster and a sacrifice fly from Rech.  

The Royals got a run on Cooper Ballew’s RBI double in the fourth, but the Lakers got that back in the fifth when Dixon walked, stole second and eventually scored on Orme’s sacrifice fly. 

The two teams have another doubleheader set for Thursday. 

First game 

AA Lakers    003    012    0    -    6    6    5 

Royals        101    020    3    -    7    7    3

Eli Coopman, George Schwan (6), Miles Arrowsmith (7) and Brady Buckmaster. Cooper Ballew, Ryland Humphrey (6) and Severin Cellan.  

KALISPELL AA LAKERS — Teagan Dixon 0-2, Micah Engle 2-4, Tate Orme 0-2, Eli Coopman 0-0, Hunter Fann 0-4, Beau Shulz 0-4, Dillon Wink 1–4, Brady Buckmaster 1-3, Liam Rech 1-3, Miles Arrowsmith 1-3.  

BILLINGS ROYALS — Connor Smith 0-3, Severin Cellan 2-4, Paxton Fitch 0-2, Anthony Ferguson 3-4, Brady Christianson 0-3, Roman Sloan 0-4, Brady Baker 1-4, Cohen Barnhart 0-3, Bradyn Rivera 0-2.  

2B — Engle. RBIs — Engle 3, Orme, Buckmaster, Baker 2, Fitch, Ferguson. 

Second game 

AA Lakers    002    310    0    -    6    7    2 

Royals    000    100    0    -    1    5    1

Max Schara, Schwan and Buckmaster. Smith, E Helgoth (5) and A Quintana. 

AA LAKERS — Dixon 0-3, Engle 1-4, Orm 1-2, Fann 1-3, Schulz 0-2, Wink 2-3, Buckmaster 0-3, Rech 1-2, Arrowsmith 1-3. 

ROYALS — Smith 1-3, Cellan 0-4, Fitch 1-3, Ferguson 1-3, Baker 1-3, Barnhart0-3, Ballew 1-2, Quintana 0-3, Rivera 0-3. 

2B — Ballew, Fitch. RBIs — Ballew, Orme, Wink, Buckmaster, Rech.