Mariners head to state as West A No. 2 seed
The Mission Valley Mariners captured the No. 2 seed out of the Western District last weekend in Missoula after falling 9-4 to top seed Glacier in the district title game on Sunday.
The Twins also beat the Mariners by a score of 7-3 in Saturday’s winner’s semifinal.
Sunday, the fourth inning was the pivot point: After the Mariners’ Trevor Lake drew a bases-loaded walk off Jacob Polumbus, Xavier Fisher hit a 2-run single that knotted the game at 3-all.
Glacier responded with five runs in its half of the inning, then tacked on an insurance run in the sixth.
Down to their final frame, the Mariners loaded the bases, but scored just a single run when leadoff Xavier Fisher crossed the plate.
The Mariners will face the Northern A top seed Great Falls in the opening round at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Havre.
In Saturday’s undefeated semifinal, the Mariners led twice, but couldn't stave off Twins rallies. Fisher opened the contest with a double, then plated on a fielding error two batters later for a 1-0 lead. Glacier countered with two in the bottom of the third to flip the script 2-1.
Mission Valley reacquired the lead 3-2 when Alex Muzquiz and Dawson DuMont smacked back-to-back RBI doubles in the top half of the fifth. But the Twins countered with four in the bottom half of the inning, then added an insurance run an inning later to advance to the championship.
2021 Legion A West District Tournament
Lindborg-Cregg Memorial Field
July 22-27, Missoula
Championship
Glacier 9, Mariners 4
MssnVlly 000 300 1 – 4 5 2
Whitefish 003 501 x – 9 9 1
Alex Muzquiz (3.1IP:3K,6H,5W,3HB), (4) Espn Fisher (2.2IP:3H,2W) and E.Fisher, (4) Daniel Kelsch. Jacob Polumbus, (5) Robbins and Danny Dunn. W – Polumbus. L – Muzquiz ( ).
MARINERS – Xavier Fisher 2-3, Alex Muzquiz 0-4, Dawson DuMont 1-4, E.Fisher 0-2, Eric Dolence 1-4, Dylan Davis 0-3, Ethan McCauley 1-2, Kelsch 0-1, Darian Williams 0-2, Trevor Lake 0-2.
TWINS — Mason Peters 0-3, Stevyn Andrachick 0-2, Zach Veneman 1-2, Jacob Polumbus 0-2, Michael Glass 1-3, Robbins 2-3, Dunn 2-3, Hayden Meehan 0-2, Taylor Bryan 3-4.
RBIs – X.Fisher 2, Dolence, T.Lake; Glass 2, Robbins, Meehan 3, Bryan 3. SF – Glass, Meehan. BB – E.Fisher, D.Davis, D.Williams, T.Lake; Peters, Veneman, Polumbus 2, Robbins, Dunn, Meehan.
Third place
Mariners 9, Mavericks 4
Missoula 100 200 1 – 4 5 0
MssnVlly 200 025 x – 9 15 2
Ethan Parker, (6a) Owen McGuinn, (6b) Weston McCullough, (6c) Nate Dill and Kieler Hudson. Eric Dolence (7IP:8K,4W,1HB) and Espn Fisher. W – Dolence ( ).
MAVERICKS – Hudson 1-1, Joey Leary 0-4, Mason Anderson 1-4, Ethan Parker 0-2, Dill 0-1, Rory Hunt 1-4, Sam Matosich 1-3, Luke Thorne 0-3, Finn Davis 0-2, Noah Gibbs 1-2.
MARINERS – Xavier Fisher 2-3, Alex Muzquiz 2-3, Dawson DuMont 3-4, E.Fisher 3-3, Ethan McCauley 2-3, Bryson Fisher 0-2, Darian Williams 0-1, Daniel Kelsch 1-2, Dylan Davis 1-4, Trevor Lake 1-3.
3B – McCauley. 2B – Hunt; X.Fisher, E.Fisher. RBIs – Hudson, Parker, Anderson; X.Fisher, Muzquiz, DuMont, E.Fisher 2, McCauley 2, D.Williams, Kelsch. SF – Parker; X.Fisher. BB – Hudson 3, Gibbs; Muzquiz, E.Fisher, Kelsch.
Undefeated semifinal
Glacier 7, Mariners 3
MssnVlly 100 020 0 – 3 5 3
Whitefish 002 041 x – 7 8 2
Zach Veneman, (7) George Robbins and Danny Dunn. Bryson Fisher (4.1IP:1K,5H,8W), (5) Darian Williams (1.2IP:3H,0W) and Espn Fisher. W – Veneman. L – B.Fisher ( ).
MARINERS – Xavier Fisher 1-3, Alex Muzquiz 2-4, Dawson DuMont 1-3, E.Fisher 0-3, Eric Dolence 0-2, Ethan McCauley 0-3, Dylan Davis 0-3, Daniel Kelsch 0-2, Trevor Lake 1-3.
TWINS — Mason Peters 0-3, Stevyn Andrachick 2-4, Veneman 0-1, Jacob Polumbus 0-3, Michael Glass 2-3, Robbins 2-3, Dunn 0-3, Hayden Meehan 1-2, Taylor Bryan 1-3.
2B – X.Fisher, Muzquiz, DuMont; S.Andrachick. RBIs – Muzquiz, DuMont, E.Fisher; S.Andrachick, Polumbus, Glass, Robbins 2, Dunn, Meehan, Bryan. BB – Dolence; Veneman 3, Polumbus, Glass, Robbins, Dunn, Meehan.