Royals take pair from AA Lakers

BILLINGS — After winning Wednesday’s nightcap the Kalispell Lakers were swept in a doubleheader Thursday, getting eight combined hits against Billings Royals pitchers in AA Legion baseball. 

Roman Sloan threw six strong innings in the first game, which the Royals won 6-2; in the second game Brayden Rivera allowed just one hit in five innings of work in a 5-0 Billings victory. 

The Royals improved to 8-6 with the win; the Lakers, who rode Max Schara’s pitching to a 6-1 win late Wednesday, fell to 7-6. 

Royals 6, Lakers 2 

Sloan allowed four hits and both Laker runs (one earned). He struck out eight. Severin Cellan threw the seventh for the Royals, striking out two. 

Kalispell took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single from Beau Shulz in the first inning. The Royals drew even when Cooper Ballew walked with two out in the second, moved to third on Cohen Barnhart’s double and scored on a wild pitch. 

Paxton Fitch’s RBI single in the second put the Royals ahead for good, 2-1, and two Laker errors helped the hosts score twice in the fifth inning.  

After the Lakers’ Tait Orme hit an RBI single in the sixth to close the gap to 4-2, Billings answered with two runs thanks to Connor Smith’s RBI single, his third hit, and another wild pitch. 

Kyler Croft started on the mound, and went four innings with five hits, three walks and two runs allowed. He struck out two. 

AA Lakers    100    001    0    -    2    5    3 

Royals    011    022    x    -    6    8    1 

Kyler Croft, Tait Orme (5), Miles Arrowsmith (6) and Brady Buckmaster, Carter Wiggington. Roman Sloan, Severin Cellan (7) and Brady Christianson, Arturo Quintana (7).  

KALISPELL AA LAKERS — Teagan Dixon 1-3, Micah Engle 0-2, Tait Orme 2-2, Kyler Croft 0-0, Hunter Fann 0-2, Lincoln Fisher 0-1, Beau Shulz 1-3, Dillon Wink 1-3, Buckmaster 0-2, Wigginton 0-1, Liam Rech 0-2, Miles Arrowsmith 0-2, Eli Coopman 0-1. 

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

2B — Barnhart. RBIs — Shulz, Orme, Smith, Fitch.  

Royals 5, Lakers 0 

The Lakers managed just three hits, but had baserunners: Rivera allowed six walks along with that one Lakers hit, and hit a batter. He also struck out six. Anthony Ferguson scattered two hits and two walks in his two innings of relief. 

The Lakers went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. 

Lincoln Fisher started on the bump and went four innings, allowing five hits. None of his three runs were earned, and he fanned three. Liam Rech threw innings five and six. 

The Lakers are back at Griffin Field for three doubleheaders next week: Tuesday against the Missoula AA Mavericks (5 p.m. start) and Thursday and Friday against the Great Falls Chargers. 

AA Lakers    000    000    0    -    0    3    3 

Royals    100    211    x    -    5    8    1 

Fisher, Rech (5) and Wigginton. Rivera, Ferguson (6) and Quintana.  

AA LAKERS — Fisher 0-1, Rech 1-1, Wink 0-4, Croft 1-4, Coopman 0-4, Shulz 1-4, George Schwan 0-2, Max Schara 0-1, Wigginton 0-3, Asher 0-2. 

ROYALS — Cellan 0-4, Baker 0-4, Sloan 2-3, Ballew 1-2, Barnhart 1-3, Christianson 1-3, Quintana 1-3, Eli Helgoth 1-2, Ryland Humphrey 1-2. 

2B — Christianson, Helgoth. RBIs — Cellan, Ballew, Barnhart, Christianson, Helgoth.