Twin killing for Mariners

Mission Valley sweeps Saturday double-header against Glacier

POLSON - The Mission Valley Mariners A team got two solid pitching performances last Saturday as they swept the Class A Glacier Twins in a double header.

Both starting pitchers put in impressive strikeout counts but more importantly, they kept their pitch count down and went deep into the game.

"It's good because you're not having to switch people in and out," Mariners' manager Jami Hanson said.

In the first game, Josh Rustad pitched for five innings, striking out 10 against the Twins thanks to the movement on his pitches that can really deceive opposing hitters.

It was more than enough as Mariners' slugger Chris Clary went off in the game, hitting two home runs in his first two at bats.

"I felt really relaxed and made contact," Clary

said.

The pitcher had delivered a fastball and then tried a fastball inside that Clary clobbered, the second home run was a straight fast ball that he just killed as well.

One of the home runs was hit so hard that it cleared the metal sheds in right-center field.

"That's the farthest left-hand home run I've seen in that park," Mariners B team manager Chris Brown said.

It should come as no surprise though, when Clary played for the B team last year, he had a Helena Brewers scout tell Brown and Hanson that Clary hit a foul ball the farthest he'd ever seen at the Missoula Osprey's stadium.

"The kid's got crazy power," Brown said. "He's been hitting everything, lately, right on the barrel."

The M's jumped out to a 9-0 lead through five innings before Glacier put up seven runs in the top of the sixth, but Mission Valley would hold on to win.

In the second game, Justin Evertz was on the mound for the Mariners and went 6 and two-thirds innings while striking out nine and walking just one.

"Justin is also playing tennis and that has a lot of the same shoulder movement and torque," Hanson said.

Kevin Hagedorn had singled to drive in two runs in the bottom of the second, and Jacob Young doubled to plate two runs on the next frame as the Mariners took the 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, catcher and leadoff hitter Jack Humphreys basically manufactured a run by himself.

Humphreys reached base after being hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a ground out, stole third base and then took home after a passed ball by the catch to extend Mission Valley's lead to 5-2.

"I thought we ran the bases well," Hanson said.

Glacier scored two runs in the top of the sixth and two more in the top of the seventh to take the 6-5 lead before relief pitcher Bradley Pitchler got the final out of the inning on a pop-out.

Things got really interesting in the bottom of the seventh as Humphrey's tripled, then Austin Von Tom doubled to bring him home and tie the game back up again at 6-6. A passed ball allowed Von Tom to advance to third base and represent the game-winning run. Trying to work in some strategy, the Twins intentionally walked Clary and then Robbie Gauthier after getting strike out. Gauthier, took a swing at one of the pitches and had he gotten it to go fair it would have brought home the winning run.

Sitting in the on-deck circle was Young, who had doubled his previous two times at the plate, he watched as the Twins pitched to get to him.

"I was kind of nervous but I was excited at the same time," Young said. "I was glad our guys could play awesome in these tight spots."

The pitcher threw a fastball, Young knew as soon as he hit it that it would score the run and even though a Twins outfielder caught the ball, he couldn't get it home before Von Tom scored the walk-off run. The come-from-behind win was reminiscent of last year's Mariners' team and it's something Hanson said that they passed down to this year's squad.

"It only takes one run to win," Hanson said. "It's very important. It also builds character and pride."

MVM 12, GLACIER 7

G - 000 - 007 - 0 - 7

M - 313 - 203 - x - 12

Glacier - 8 hits, 7 errors. MVM - 9 hits, 5 errors

Mariners batting - Jack Humphreys 1-4, Austin Von Tom 1-3, Justin Evertz 0-3, Bradley Pitchler 0-0, Chris Clary 3-4, Robbie Gauthier 1-2, Cole McArthur 1-2, Derrick Rathe 0-2, Jacob Young 1-4, Kevin Hagedorn 1-3, Dalton Malhzon 0-2, Austin Reynolds 0-1.

Doubles - McArthur, Hagedorn, Clary. HR - Clary 2 RBIs - Clary 5, Hagedorn 2, McArthur. M Pitching - Josh Rustad (5 IP, 10K), Kellen Hoyt (1 IP).

MVM 7, GLACIER 6

G - 101 - 002 - 2 - 6

M - 022 - 010 - 2 - 7

Glacier - 8 hits, 2 errors. MVM - 9 hits, 3 errors

Mariners batting - Jack Humphreys 1-3, Austin Von Tom 2-3, Justin Evertz 0-3, Chris Clary 1-3, Robbie Gauthier 1-2, Jacob Young 3-4, Cole McArthur 0-2, Kevin Hagedorn 1-3, Dalton Malhzon 0-3, Bradley Pitchler 0-1.

Doubles - Von Tom, Young 2. Triple - Humphreys RBIs - Young 3, Hagedorn 2, Von Tom. M Pitching - Justin Evertz (6 2/3 IP, 9K), Austin Reynolds, Bradley Pitchler (1/3 IP).