Mariners sweep Bitterroot

At O'Malley Park in Polson on Saturday, the Mission Valley Mariners swept the Bitterroot Red Sox in an A squad conference doubleheader.

In the first game, the Mariners scored three runs on four hits in each of the first two innings. Espn Fisher had three RBIs, including plating his brother Xavier twice. Alex Muzquiz had the lone extra-base hit with a double in the bottom half of the sixth, plating to secure the eventual 7-4 win.

In the second game, the top third of the M's order opened their half of the contest with three successive hits, Muzquiz and Espn Fisher clouting doubles as the hosts jumped out to a 3-0 advantage. The Red Sox countered in the third by knotting the contest at three apiece. Mariner bats got going again the second half of the contest as they scored ten runs over the course of the remainder of the game. Eric Dolence turned in a three RBI double during fourth inning action when the Mariners sent their entire lineup to the plate. The game wrapped in the sixth on a ten run ruling, 13-3.

Earlier in the week, the Mariners faced off against the defending 2020 West A District champion Glacier Twins for the first time this season, falling 8-2. After Glacier scored a single run in the top half of the inning, Mission Valley loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the first. But the Mariners only succeeded in plating a single run on a Dylan Davis sacrifice fly.

In the bottom half of the second, Darian Williams opened the frame with a double to right-center, advancing to third on a groundout and plating on a RBI single from leadoff Xavier Fisher for a 2-1 lead. The Twins knotted the contest at two apiece in the top half of the third as the game was shaping up to be a barn burner.

But thereafter Glacier continued to be productive at the plate while Mission Valley bats were muffled. The Twins capitalized on eight hits the remainder of the way, a trio for extra bases that contributed to a half dozen runs. The Mariners threatened in the fifth and eighth, but were unsuccessful in crafting comparable counters on offense. Defensively, the Mariners infield shined as they turned four double plays that kept a lid on the deficit.