Mariners continue successful season
<p>Mariners players Ryan Pablo and TJ Olson celebrate a fielding play. This year's Mission Valley Mariners team has lived up to its expectations of excellence this season. The team touts several players who have lived up to their great potentials, including pitchers and Polson High School graduates Alex Killian and Jared Young. Last week, they came back from two double-header losses against the Bitterroot Red Sox to trounce both the Glacier Twins and the Kalispell Lakers by wide margins later on.</p>
POLSON – The visiting Bitterroot Red Sox swept the Mission Valley Mariners 2-0 during Thursday night’s doubleheader in Polson for in conference action. The Red Sox earned the initial 4-2 victory before they earned a 13-9 win.
A low-scoring opening game saw the Mariners ahead 2-0 after five complete innings. But it would be the only two runs from Mission Valley. Scoring for the Mariners were Trevor Paro and Jared Young. Zeke Webster-Yaqui and Alex Killian had single RBIs each.
The Red Sox scored once in the top of the sixth inning and three times in the seventh. Tyler Nixon led the charge with two runs while Austin Ray and Tanner Lehr had single runs for the Bitterroot squad.
Mission Valley’s Webster-Yaqui and Killian doubled. The hosts had one error in the game, scored two runs off seven hits and left nine stranded.The hosts didn’t have a better time in the day’s second game as they fell 13-9. Thanks in part to an eight-run inning for the Bitterroot Red Sox, the Mission Valley Mariners fell to their conference host during Thursday’s nightcap in Polson.
Both teams were tied up at three after five complete innings, but the visiting Red Sox team exploded to start the sixth frame. Bitterroot scored eight times to take a commanding 11-3 lead over the hosts. The Mariners would rally, but fell short only scoring four times to close out the inning. Both teams added two runs in the seventh inning. Jared Young scored three times for Mission Valley and brought in one run. Trevor Paro led the Mariners with two RBIs and a single run and a double. Also scoring for the home team were Ryan Pablo, Killian, Bradley Pichler, Derek Peel and Bransen Krebs.
Mariners 13, Twins 9
GLACIER – Stud performances by Ryan Pablo and TJ Olson led the Mariners to top the hosting Glacier Twins 13-9 during July 9’s conference matchup. An eight-run inning for the Mission Valley squad fueled the victory.
Both squads were tied up at three runs a piece after two complete frames before an explosive third inning gave Mission Valley the advantage.
Zeke Webster-Yaqui brought in four Mariner runners to score while Olson had three RBIs.
Olson and Pablo led the Mariners with three runs a piece. Olson homered and doubled during his six bat appearances, and had three hits. Olson also had 10 putouts defensively. Pablo did his dirty work in the field and stole two bases, and went three-for-four at the plate.
The Mariners earned single runs from Alex Killian, Jared Young, Derek Peel, Bradley Pichler, Jacob Harrod, Bransen Krebs, who also doubled, and Trevor Paro.
Despite seven errors, the Mariners scored 13 times off 15 hits. They left six on bases. The hometown Twins had just three errors but left nine stranded and had nine runs off 14 hits.
The Twins attempted a comeback in the bottom of the seventh frame. Glacier rallied to bring home five runners, but Mission Valley cut the hosts short and added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth for the victory.
Mariners 16, Kalispell 3
Mission Valley put away Kalispell 16-3 in the July 7 road trip for the Mariners. The visitors earned 16 runs off 23 hits in the contest, holding the hosting Lakers to just five hits and three runs during the nine-inning game Monday night.
The Mariners were off to an early 3-0 lead after the first frame, and the visitors held the Lakers defensively until the bottom of the eighth inning where Kalispell scored its lone three runs from Brooks Krause, Jayson Combs and Tyson Sperber.
The Mariners came away with the conference victory, however, and Mission Valley added insurance runs late in the game to put away the win. The visitors earned single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, brought in two runners in the seventh, five in the eighth and four in the ninth.
Derek Peel got it done at the dish for the Mission Valley boys. He worked all nine innings, allowed just five hits, three runs, walked one and struck out six.
Zeke Webster-Yaqui led the Mariners in the charge with four runs off three hits. He doubled and tripled and had two stolen bases. Cole Snyder had four RBIs and one run.
TJ Olson scored three times for the Mariners. Olson tripled and stole one base.
Others scoring for the Mariners included Ryan Pablo, Alex Killian and Trevor Paro with two runs a piece, and single runs from Bradley Pichler and Bransen Krebs.
Killian and Webster-Yaqui had three RBIs a piece.