Glacier, Gallatin Valley Named American Legion Co-champs

OLSON — The Class A American Legion Baseball state tournament was filled with sunshine, cheers and high-level baseball.

The game to determine a champion, between the Gallatin Valley Outlaws and Glacier Twins, was characterized by cold rain, quiet murmuring and baseball players sitting in the dugout.

That’s because after three innings of play, with Glacier leading 5-1, the game was delayed due to rain. After lengthy discussions between the coaches and officials, the decision to cancel the game and name both teams co-champions was made.

“It’s not what anybody wants,” Outlaws manager Duwayne Scott said. “Unfortunately, Mother Nature can sometimes dictate what can happen.”

It was, plainly, an awkward scene. In place of a dogpile on the pitchers’ mound, both teams stood around their dugouts, gathering their belongings. The “Montana state champions” plaque, awarded to the victor, was passed between the two squads for group photos. Big smiles were replaced with indifferent smirks.

The decision came with pushback. Some Twins supporters, after watching their team hold a commanding lead through nearly half the game, felt the decision unfair.

Glacier manager Kevin Slaybaugh didn’t go as far, but still disagreed with the decision.

“I think it’s a bad outcome, I really do,” Slaybaugh said. “We were rollin’, we would’ve won that game, it’s frustrating.”

The decision also means that both teams will head to the Northwest Regional tournament this week. Glacier will serve as the Montana champion, and Gallatin Valley will fill the place of Wyoming’s representative.

“I really feel that we should be the state champions, and we earned a state championship,” Slaybaugh said. “They should party like they are state champions.”