Mariners head to state tournament

Zach Urness

Leader Staff

Mission accomplished.

The Mariners are headed to the state tournament for the second year in a row after winning the Western A district title.

The M's wiped the floor with the 2006 state champion Bitterroot Bucs, 23-2, in Tuesday's championship game at O'Maley field.

"Our goal all year has been to make it back to state," said head coach Jami Hanson, noting that the Mariners didn't lose a home game all season. "They really went out there and got the job done."

The M's won their first two games easily, beating Kootenai Valley 13-3 on Saturday and Libby 10-4 on Sunday. Things got more exciting on Monday, as the Mariners needed a walk-off hit from Will Gordon to take down Bitterroot Bucs in the undefeated semi-finals.

"What makes it so exciting is the look on these kids faces," said Hanson. "I am excited about our chances at state. We're going to play it one game at a time and hopefully play state the way we played during this tournament."

The Mariners will take their 55-7 overall record (.887 winning percentage) northward to Libby for the state tournament August 2-5.

Mariners 23, Bitterroot 2 (championship game)

After losing to the M's on Monday, the Bucs fought valiantly through the loser's bracket to face Mission Valley in Tuesday's championship game. Problem was, the Mariners were well rested and had no intention of losing on their home field.

Tim Rausch whipped out his nine iron in the fifth inning and golfed a grand slam over the left field fence for the loudest shot of the offensive onslaught.

Previously slumping Cubby Pierre came to life in the second inning with a solo home run, breaking a 2-2 tie, and opening up the floodgates for a nine run inning. Eric Locke, who pitched all seven innings, highlighted the second inning assault with a three run double and by the time it was over, Mission Valley held a 12-2 lead.

Beau Nordberg, Brandon Thompson, John Rausch and Kyle Brown all contributed RBIs for the hot hitting men from under the Mission Mountains.

Things continually got worse for a tired and demoralized Bitterroot team that hurt itself with errors, and the game ended via the mercy rule in the seventh inning.

Mariners 9, Bitterroot Bucs 8 (semi-final)

The crowd came to its feet as Will Gordon walked to the plate with the winning run on second base in the bottom of the ninth. Gordon had been frustrated all game, but with one compact swing of the bat and all the missed opportunities were forgotten, as he drove a base hit up the middle and scored Tim Rausch, giving the M's the win and sending them into the championship game.

Rausch had led off the inning with a hustling infield single, and Brandon Thompson, who had smacked his third home run of the tournament in the third inning, was walked, setting the stage for Gordon.

It was the second time in the game that Rausch changed the game on a hustle play. After putting themselves in a 3-1 hole early, the M's tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth inning when Rausch came up with two outs and hit a weak grounder that looked like the third out. Instead, Rausch ran like he was being chased by an angry man with a big knife and barreled over the Bucs first basemen, scoring Kyle Brown for a 4-3 lead. Thompson followed the play with a two-run double to the fence and the Mariners took a 6-3 lead.

Thompson, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, also pitched all nine innings for the M's, throwing 180 total pitches and striking out 11 batters.

The M's added two runs in the fifth, when John Rausch, not to be outdone by his brother, crushed a looping home run over the left field fence to give Mission Valley a 8-3 lead.

But Bitterroot, last year's state champions, refused to go quietly into the descending twilight and rallied for three runs in the seventh and two in the ninth to tie the game at 8-8.

The middle of the Mariner lineup was just too much, however, as 3-4-5 hitters Tim Rausch, Brandon Thompson and Will Gordon combined to go 9-for-14 at the plate with five RBIs.

Mariners 10, Libby 4

The Mariners welcomed the hosts of the state tournament to the land under the Mission Mountains with a massive display of power. The big Moose Brandon Thompson did his best to destroy the baseball on Sunday, hitting a pair of majestic home runs that cleared the tin buildings beyond right and center field fences and assistant coach Jack Cummings estimated the dingers at roughly 450 feet.

Eric Locke also had a home run for the M's, who steadily built a lead for pitcher Brandon "Hobbs" Roy, who went eight innings, finishing with seven strikeouts and didn't allow a run until the seventh inning, for his 10th win of the season.

The Mariners took a 4-0 lead in the third inning on Thompson's first two-run homer, and added two more in the fifth. The lead was pushed to 10-1 in the eighth inning, and, although the Loggers managed three runs in the top of the ninth, it was an easy win for the M's.

Tim Rausch had a double to go with a 2-for-3 effort and leadoff hitter Kyle Brown had two hits on a 2-for-5 day at the plate. The Moose ended the game going 3-for-4, as the win put the Mariners in the semi-finals against the only other undefeated team in the tournament, the Bitterroot Bucs.

Mariners 13, Kootenai Valley 3

The Mariners won the opening game of the tournament on Saturday against Kootenai Valley easily, evoking the 10-run mercy rule for their seventh straight win over the Crushers.