In a season that was rarely short on excitement, from one of their players getting drafted into the big leagues to a spirited run at the state tournament, the Kalispell Lakers ran out of fireworks after a huge rally in their final game.
At the American Legion Baseball AA state tournament in Butte, the Lakers trailed the Billings Royals 11-2 after five innings in a July 29 loser-out game. The Lakers tacked on four runs in the sixth inning and three in the seventh but also allowed three.
Down 14-9, Kalispell was only able to score one more run in the final inning, ending their rally and their season. The Lakers finished 36-22.
The Royals, 35-18, went on to lose in the championship game 10-2 to the Billings Scarlets, who won their 12th title overall and third in the last four years.
Both the Scarlets, 48-9-1, and Royals advance to the Class AA Northwest Regional tournament, which is held Aug. 4-8 at Dehler Park in Billings. The Scarlets face the Idaho state champion and the Royals play the Oregon state champion.
The Missoula Mavericks, the 2010 champion, finished third at the state tournament after losing to the Royals 8-6 in a loser-out game at Butte’s Alumni Field. Missoula’s record was 53-17. The Glacier Twins of Whitefish failed to qualify for the tournament.
The Lakers were back in the state tourney after a one-year absence. In their last trip to state in 2009, Kalispell came in third place, the program’s best finish since 1988. The Lakers’ lone AA title was in 1978. The program was established in 1970.
Once again, Kalispell’s ace pitcher Joe Pistorese garnered headlines throughout the season for a series of impressive accomplishments, including his final outing on the mound at the state tourney.
After opening up the tournament with a 10-4 loss on July 27 to the Scarlets, the Lakers defeated the Helena Senators 8-1 in a loser-out game the following day. In earning the victory, Pistorese threw a complete game two-hitter, striking out 21 batters and walking none. His strikeout total eclipsed his previous career high of 19, set earlier this season.
Pistorese, who also has a perfect game on his American Legion Baseball resume, was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 44th round of June’s Major League Baseball Draft. He may attend college before pursuing his professional career. The southpaw was also one of Kalispell’s top hitters this season.
As a team, Kalispell batted .304 for the tournament, led by Sidney Schenk’s .665 average over the course of two games and Michael O’Connell’s .400 average in three games on 6-of-15 hitting. Dillon Matteson also batted .400.
O’Connell had one of Kalispell’s two home runs in the tournament. Cody Dopps had the other. Dopps had a team-high four RBIs. The team’s other top performers at the plate were Nate Bengston, who batted .364, and Pistorese, who finished the tournament with a .333 average.