Mariners light up Firecracker

POLSON — Coach Jami Hanson can’t exactly remember the last time the Mission Valley Mariners lost their annual Firecracker Tournament.

Last year’s championship game—a game in which the M’s were slated to play—was rained out, but they had won the prior five years at least, according to Hanson.

Behind a solid performance from this year’s Mariners, led by tournament MVP Ryan Pablo, Hanson’s squad capped off the 2013 Firecracker with an 8-0 victory over the Kootenai Valley Rangers in the championship bout.

The M’s were dominant over the weekend, winning all five tournament games by five or more runs. They amassed victories over the Dillon Cubs, Missoula Pioneers, Cranbrook Bandits, and Glacier Twins B in pool play to earn a championship game birth.

“[We played] much better in the field,” Hanson said, referring to last weekend’s fifth-place performance at Belgrade where the Mariners were plagued by errors. “I think we have a couple error-free games in a row. That’s big.”

Hanson said that, being the host team, they expect to win the tournament every year despite the long hours of work required to run a successful tournament.

“The kids are here every day at 7:30 [a.m.],” he said, following Sunday’s championship game, which had a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. “…They’ve worked hard, every single one of them.”

Pablo put together an impressive tournament, playing every inning at third base and sparking the M’s offense with a .500 (9-for-18) batting average, a double, two triples, six RBI, and four stolen bases on the weekend. Mission Valley’s leadoff man did not strike out in 20 plate appearances.

“[Being named tournament MVP] is certainly not something that I expected. It’s something that I definitely appreciate though,” said Pablo, who went 3-4 and knocked in two runs in the title game. “I just went up there like I have all year. I was seeing the ball well this tournament.”

If Pablo was the Mariners’ star on offense, Zeke Webster-Yaqui made the headlines on the mound.

The every day center fielder, Webster-Yaqui turned in a gem on the hill in the championship game with a complete-game shutout in which he struck out five and only allowed three hits.

“That’s what he’s capable of doing every time. I don’t expect anything less,” Hanson said.

As one of the better hitters in the M’s lineup, it came as somewhat of a surprise that Webster-Yaqui had a designated hitter on Sunday evening.

“I don’t usually get DH’ed for when I pitch. It was probably just so I could settle down and focus on pitching,” he said. “My team made some plays for me. I was pitching to contact, pounding the zone. Seemed to work out for me pretty good.”

He also had the help of Alex Killian—the M’s catcher went 2-for-3 and merited the “most hustle” award in the tournament—Jeremiah Crawford (2-for-3, RBI), and Quinn Harlan (2-for-3, run scored) at the dish.

“A lot of kids stepped it up a little bit,” Hanson said. “We had five or six kids that had multiple-hit games [in the tournament].”

Home-field advantage helped Mission Valley get back into the winning form that earned them championships in the Helena and Dillon tournaments earlier this season. Heading into the season’s final month, Hanson is glad to be back on track.

“The goal of the season is, every tournament you’re in, you’re in the championship,” the skipper said. “That prepares you for district, state, and regional.”