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State Baseball: Kalispell Outlasts Helena in Opening Round

Kalispell will play the Missoula Mavericks at 8 p.m. Thursday night

By Dillon Tabish
Joe Broughton makes a throw to first base on July 21, 2016. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

The Kalispell Lakers overpowered the Helena Senators in a hit-fest in the opening round of the Montana-Alberta Class AA Tournament on Wednesday.

The Lakers won 16-9 and advanced to tonight’s second round. Kalispell will play the Missoula Mavericks at 8 p.m. Missoula defeated Bozeman in the opener, 8-0.

Kalispell’s bats were hot early and often; the team tallied 17 hits over nine innings. Jake Halland was 5-for-6 with three doubles and three RBI. Andrew Schleusner had two hits, including a triple, and three RBI. Patrick O’Connell was 3-for-5 with two RBI and Leif Ericksen had two RBI. Jayson Combs added an RBI.

The Lakers’ defense only committed one error while Helena had seven.

The Billings Scarlets defeated Medicine Hat 9-5 and Lethbridge beat the Billings Royals 2-0 in other opening-round action.

Lethbridge plays the Scarlets at 4 p.m., today in other second-round action.

Click here to view a bracket.


Kalispell  341  112  130  –  16  17  1

Helena  321  300  000  –  9  14  7

Leif Ericksen, Logan DeCock (4) and Andrew Schleusner. Ryan Dorvall, Henry Bowers (2), Tanner McMahon (5), Taylor Carlson (7), Danny Burton (8) and Carter Pappas. W – DeCock. L – Bowers.

KALISPELL – Tiler Whiteaker 1-4, Jake Halland 5-6, Patrick O’Connell 3-5, Schleusner 2-3, Erickson 0-5, Spencer Pisk 1-2, DeCock 0-3, Micah Benson 2-6, Joe Broughton 1-4, Jayson Combs 2-5.

HELENA – Ryan Arntson 1-4, Danny Burton 1-3, Colin Sassano 1-6, Kienan Steif 3-5, Payton Pappas 3-4, Ray Moore 1-5, Koby Griffin 2-4, Jackson Thennis 2-3, C. Pappas 0-4.

2B – Halland 3; Thennis, Burton, Griffin. 3B – Schleusner. RBI – Halland 3, O’Connell 2, Schleusner 3, Ericksen 2, Combs; Arntson, Sassano 2, P. Pappas, Griffin 3, Thennis.