Flathead baseball: That's not coming back
JON ALLEN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 week AGO
Flathead's Miles Arrowsmith (2) celebrates as he rounds second base after hitting a grand slam in the third inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead shortstop Micah Engle (9) puts the tag on East Helena's Decker Jones (5) trying to steal second base in the second inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Liam Rech (4) beats the tag at home plate by East Helena pitcher Jeren Jerome (9) after a wild pitch in the third inning at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Hunter Fann (11) connects on an RBI double in the third inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead shortstop Micah Engle (9) fields a ground ball in the second inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Wyatt Asher (44) connects on an RBI double in the third inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Micah Engle (9) beats the tag at home plate by East Helena pitcher Liam Priebe (4) after a wild pitch in the second inning at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead third baseman Leum Saisbury (0) tags out East Helena's Cole Jones in the fourth inning at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Wyatt Asher (44) celebrates on second base after hitting an RBI double in the third inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead pitcher Miles Arrowsmith (2) delivers in the first inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Wyatt Asher (44) heads to third base on a hit in the third inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
SPORTS REPORTER Jon Allen is a sports reporter for the Daily Inter Lake. He covers youth and high school athletics across the Flathead Valley and Northwest Montana. Allen reports on major games, athletes and teams throughout the region’s prep sports landscape. In addition to game coverage, he contributes features and analysis across print and digital platforms. Jon can be seen on our Big Sky Now podcast, weighing in on the college landscape. His work highlights the athletes and communities that define Northwest Montana sports. IMPACT: Jon’s work tells the stories of local athletes and the communities that support them. | March 27, 2026 12:00 AM
It was a near perfect opening day for Flathead baseball.
Fans flocked to ABS Park in Evergreen Thursday as the Braves downed East Helena 19-3 in the school’s first ever game on the diamond.
“It was a little rough on the mound, but we will fix that,” Braves coach Richard Burland said. “Hitting was good, I loved our two-strike approach, that was why we scored 19 runs today.”
Miles Arrowsmith played a key part, throwing four no-hit innings on the mound and launching a grand slam — the first homer in school history — over the fence in straightaway center field.
“Ten out of 10, honestly. Super good,” Arrowsmith said of Flathead’s first game.
Arrowsmith and East Helena’s Liam Preibe needed an inning to get a feel for the game Thursday.
The Vigilantes found the plate three times in the opening inning, while Flathead scored twice — all coming without a hit on either side.
A scoreless second inning gave way to a Braves barrage in the third.
Flathead (1-0) took its first lead of the day as a passed ball and an error allowed Leum Saisbury and Liam Rech to score making it 5-3 Braves.
Wyatt Asher doubled down the line shortly after for the first hit of the game and brought in a pair of Braves to make it 7-3.
“One of our players picked up a good sign from the pitcher on if he was throwing off-speed or throwing a fastball,” Burland said. “We all communicated it and it just went from there.”
After three more Braves came in the bases were loaded for Arrowsmith, who jumped on a 2-0 pitch to break the game open, 15-3.
“He threw me a fastball that was outside, then the next one was a curveball and I was geared up for another fastball and I took it yard,” Arrowsmith said. “I thought it was just a routine pop fly but it kept carrying. It was great.”
Asher added one more with a single later in the inning as the Braves plated 14 and sent 19 batters to the plate in the frame.
The offense continued in the fourth as Hunter Fann and Saisbury each doubled to start the inning and make it 17-3.
Tyson Franchini-White capped off the scoring with an RBI double later in the fourth to make it 19-3.
Lincoln St. Jean took the mound in the fifth and finished the run-rule victory with a pair of strikeouts after allowing two singles.
“We just try to carry that momentum, but it’s a new day and we will start from ground zero tomorrow and go and try and get another victory,” Burland said.
The Braves can keep the momentum rolling on the road Friday to battle Hamilton at 3 p.m.
E Helena 300 00 - 3 2 5
Flathead 20(14) 3x - 19 9 0
Liam Preibe, Jeren Jerome (3), Micah Nunn (3) and Decker Jones. Miles Arrowsmith, Lincoln St. James (5) and Carter Wigginton.
EAST HELENA — Decker Jones 0-1, Kash Walker 1-1, Xavier Nunn 1-2, Breydon Adams 0-3 Micah Nunn 0-1, Jeren Jerome 0-3, Cole Jones 0-0, Liam Preibe 0-2, Trent Kauffman 0-1.
FLATHEAD — Dillon Wink 2-3, Micah Engle 0-2, Hunter Fann 1-3, Leum Saisbury 2-2, Liam Rech 0-1, Miles Arrowsmith 1-3, Lincoln St. Jean 0-0, Tyson Franchini-White 1-2, Fischer Lee 0-2, Wyatt Asher 2-4.
2B — Asher, Fann, Franchini-White. HR — Arrowsmith. RBIs — Jones, Arrowsmith 5, Saisbury 3, Asher 3, Franchini-White, Wink.
Reporter Jon Allen can be reached at 406-758-4426 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.
Flathead shortstop Micah Engle (9) puts the tag on East Helena's Decker Jones (5) trying to steal second base in the second inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Liam Rech (4) beats the tag at home plate by East Helena pitcher Jeren Jerome (9) after a wild pitch in the third inning at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Hunter Fann (11) connects on an RBI double in the third inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead shortstop Micah Engle (9) fields a ground ball in the second inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Wyatt Asher (44) connects on an RBI double in the third inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Micah Engle (9) beats the tag at home plate by East Helena pitcher Liam Priebe (4) after a wild pitch in the second inning at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead third baseman Leum Saisbury (0) tags out East Helena's Cole Jones in the fourth inning at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Wyatt Asher (44) celebrates on second base after hitting an RBI double in the third inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead pitcher Miles Arrowsmith (2) delivers in the first inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Wyatt Asher (44) heads to third base on a hit in the third inning against East Helena at ABS Park on Thursday, March 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
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