The Bitterroot Red Sox defended their Class A state championship with a win over the Glacier Twins in the legion baseball title game on Monday.
The Red Sox tallied 17 hits and held off the relentless Twins 9-7 at the legion baseball state tournament in Great Falls.
Glacier advanced to Monday night’s championship after defeating Laurel 8-2 in the third-place game.
Tristin Steinwand was 5-for-6 in the title game and Ryan Veneman was 4-for-5 with a triple and two RBI. AJ Wetsch had two hits and two RBI and Tyler Murphy and Vinnie Smith each had one RBI apiece.
Championship
Glacier 012 030 010 – 7 16 1
Bitterroot 013 401 000 – 9 17 5
Colten Parker, Jonny Sapa (3) and Vinnie Smith (9). Jonathan Ringer, Kyle Norman (5) and Tylor Nixon (8) W – Norman. L – Parker.
GLACIER – Tristin Steinwand 5-6, Max Smyley 1-3, James Sampson 0-6, Vinnie Smith 2-5, Jesse Walburn 1-5, AJ Wetsch 2-4, Derrek Kastella 0-5, Ryan Veneman 4-5, Tyler Murphy 1-5.
BITTERROOT – Austin Ray 3-5, Nate Loranger 2-4, Tylor Nixon 2-5, Jonathan Ringer 2-5, Justin Horvath 2-5, Joe Johnson 3-4, Kyle Norman 1-3, Chase Conner 0-1, Hunter Omlid 1-5, Tanner Golligoski 1-5.
2B – Steinwand, Walburn; Omlid, Ray. 3B – Veneman 2; Ray. RBIs – Murphy, Smith, Veneman 2, Wetsch 2; Horvath, Nixon, Norman, Johnson 2, Omlid 2, Ringer 2.
Third place game
Glacier 100 010 050 – 8 16 1
Laurel 000 011 000 – 2 6 2
Murphy and Smith (5). Hoke, Feller (6) and Schriver (8). W – Smith. L – Feller.
GLACIER – Steinward 3-6, Smyley 1-5, Sampson 2-6, Smith 1-4, Walburn 1-5, Wetsch 3-5, Kastella 2-4, Venneman 2-4, Murphy 1-3.
LAUREL – Hoke 0-4, O’Donnell 1-5, Cortese 1-3, Feller 1-2, Zeiler 0-1, Meier 0-4, McIlvain 1-3, West 0-4, Moran 3-4, Harper 0-1, Gordon 0-1.
2B – Sampson, Smith, Wetsch, Kastella 2; Moran. 3B – McIlvain. RBIs – Sampson, Walburn, Murphy 2, Smyley 2, Steinward 2.