Mariners continue baseball wins

Mission Valley opens season with victory

The wins for Lake County baseball teams continued as the Polson Pirates state championship season rolled right into Legion baseball, and there was very little drop-off. The Mission Valley Mariners picked up two victories over Libby on May 27 in Polson, beginning with a 10-4 win.

Espn Fisher had two hits, including a double, and drove in one run at the plate for Mission Valley. Cody Haggard drove home Fisher in the bottom of the third, which gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead. Libby tied things up in the fourth, but the decisive inning came in the bottom of the fifth when Mission Valley rallied for four runs.

In the fifth, Fisher doubled to drive in a run, while Dawson DuMont hit a two-run homer. A wayward pickoff attempt allowed Haggard to score to give Mission Valley the 5-1 lead.

Libby once again answered with three runs in the top of the sixth, but Mission Valley sealed the game with five runs of their own in the bottom of the frame.

A Cole Wadsworth two-run homer, a walked-in run, a Holden Emerson sacrifice fly, and a wild pitch leading to another run put the Mariners well into the lead.

Haggard and Wadsworth finished with two hits, while DuMont, Haggard, and Wadsworth finished with two RBI apiece, and Landon Shoemake had a triple.

On the mound, Shoemake started the game, going five and two-thirds innings, striking out eight and allowing just one earned run. Zak Muzquiz finished the game, struck out three, and didn't allow a run.

The doubleheader sweep continued, with an 11-1 five-inning victory in the nightcap in Polson. The Mariners scored nine runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back.

The Lake County team had 11 hits, including multi-hit games from Wyatt Wadsworth, Fisher, DuMont, and Landon Pablo. Fisher, Muzquiz, and Wyatt Wadsworth doubled in the matchup, while DuMont had a triple and also stole two bases.

Meanwhile, Pablo pitched four innings, allowed just three hits and struck out three while Aiden Gfoerer picked up the save with a hitless final inning.

At Polson

MARINERS 10, LOGGERS 4

Libby - 000 - 103 - 0 - 4 - 10 - 2

Mariners - 001 - 045 - x - 10 - 11 - 2

Mission Valley Hitting: Hits - E Fisher 2, C Haggard 2, C Wadsworth 2, W Wadsworth, D DuMont, H Emerson, L Shoemake, C Kauley; RBI - D DuMont 2, C Haggard 2, C Wadsworth 2, E Fisher, H Emerson; 2B - E Fisher; 3B - L Shoemake; HR: C Wadsworth, D DuMont

Mission Valley Pitching: L Shoemaker 5 and ⅔ innings pitched, 7 hits, 4 runs, 1 earned runs, 8 strikeouts; Z Muzquiz 1 ½ innings pitched, 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

MARINERS 11, LIBBY 1

Libby - 010 - 00 - 1 - 3 - 1

Mariners - 902 - 00 - 11 - 11 - 0

Mission Valley Hitting: Hits - W Wadsworth 2, E Fisher 2, D DuMont 2, L Pablo 2, C Haggard, Z Muzquiz, C Kauley; RBI - D DuMont 3, E Fisher 2, C Haggard 2, L Pablo 2, Z Muzquiz, C Wadsworth; 2B - E Fisher, Z Muzquiz, W Wadsworth; 3B - D DuMont; SB - D DuMont 2, W Wadsworth

Mission Valley Pitching: L Pablo 4 innings pitched, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts; A Gfoerer 1 innings pitched, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts

Mariners split doubleheader with Impact

The Missoula Impact handed Mission Valley its first Legion Baseball loss of the year, a 10-7 defeat on Sunday, May 28, in Polson. But the Mariners avenged the front-end doubleheader loss by picking up an 8-7 victory.

In the first game, the Mariners battled to the end, notching a five-run seventh, but the rally came up just short.

Missoula slowly amassed a lead, having the 2-1 advantage through three innings and then scoring two runs in the fourth and fifth inning. They rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth and had another run in the top of the seventh for a 10-2 lead.

Mission Valley wasn't done. Espn Fisher, who finished the game with four hits and two RBI, batted in a run to begin the seventh-inning rally. A passed ball let Wyatt Wadsworth score, then Cody Haggard singled to drive home Fisher to cut the lead to 10-5.

DuMont scored on a passed ball; then Holden Emerson hit a sac fly to make it 10-7. A strikeout neared the rally clock towards midnight. After a dropped third strike gave the Mariners hope, Missoula secured a flyout for the victory.

Emerson had two hits and a double, while Cole Wadsworth had a double. Emerson also stole two bases.

Cymian Kauley pitched four innings, struck out four while giving up seven hits and three earned runs. Wyatt Wadsworth finished the final three innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out two.

Mission Valley committed nine errors while batters struck out ten times.

The Mariners turned around the second game with an 8-7 win. DuMont homered, collected three hits, and drove in four runs while striking out five on the mound.

The Mariners jumped out to a 3-1 lead in two innings, but Missoula scored five runs in the top of the third and added another run in the top of the fourth for a 7-3 advantage.

The Mariners' offense came alive. Fisher got things going by driving in a run with a fielder's choice. Then, DuMont hit his home to drive in three runs.

Mission Valley added another insurance run in the bottom of the sixth and finished with 10 hits as a team.

Zak Muzquiz had two hits, while Haggard drove in two runs and a double. The Mariners overcame six errors, and Mission Valley pitching saw Dumont go two innings, allowing three earned runs. Fisher pitched three and two-thirds innings, striking out one and allowing no earned runs. Aiden Gfoerer threw the rest of the game and allowed no hits.

At Polson

MISSOULA 10, MARINERS 7

Missoula - 002 - 223 - 1 - 10 - 13 - 4

Mariners - 001 - 001 - 5 - 7 - 8 - 9

Mission Valley Hitting: Hits - E Fisher 4, H Emerson 2, C Wadsworth, C Haggard; RBI - E Fisher 2, C Haggard; 2B - C Wadsworth, H Emerson; SB - H Emerson 2, Z Muzquiz

Mission Valley Pitching: C Kauley 4 innings pitched, 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts; W Wadsworth 3 innings pitched, 6 hits, 6 runs, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, 2 strikouts

MARINERS 8, MISSOULA 7

Missoula - 105 - 100 - 0 - 7 - 5 - 1

Mariners - 210 - 401 - x - 8 - 10 - 6

Mission Valley Hitting: Hits - D Dumont 3, Z Muzquiz 2, W Wadsworth, E Fisher, C Haggard, H Emerson, C Wadsworth; RBI - D DuMont 4, C Haggard 2, E Fisher, C Wadsworth; 2B - C Haggard, HR - D DuMont, SB - D DuMont 2, W Wadsworth

Mission Valley Pitching: D Dumont 2 innings pitched, 2 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned runs, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts; E Fisher 3 and ⅔ innings pitched, 2 hits, 3 runs, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, A Gfroerer 1 and ⅓ innings pitched, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts

Mission Valley falls to Kalispell

Kalispell scored the walk-off run in the bottom of the 12th inning to get past the Mariners 7-6 in Legion Baseball action on Wednesday, May 31. The marathon saw Mission Valley use five different pitchers and collect 10 hits as a team.

Mission Valley led 3-0 after three innings, by Kalispell clawed back for a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth. The Mariners got one run in the top of the sixth on an error, and Aiden Gfroerer drove in another run to retake the 5-4 lead. Cody Haggard drove in another run in the top of the seventh.

The Lakers scored a run in the bottom of the seventh and kept the game alive with another run in the bottom of the ninth. That's how it would remain until the bottom of the 12th when Kalispell bunted in the winning run.

Dawson Dumont started the game on the mound, not allowing a run and striking out five in three innings. Haggard pitched two innings, then Cole Wadsworth went five innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out two. Landon Pablo finished the game.

DuMont had a home run early in the game, had two RBI, and stole two bases. Wyatt Wadsworth also had two hits. Espn Fisher had a home run in the game.

At Kalispell

KALISPELL 7, MARINERS 6

Mariners - 201 - 002 - 100 - 000 - 6 - 10 - 2

Kalispell - 000 - 310 - 101 - 001 - 7 - 13 - 5

Mission Valley Hitting: Hits - W Wadsworth 2, D DuMont 2, C Wadsworth 2, A Gfroerer, E Fisher, C Haggard, H Emerson; RBI - D DuMont 2, E Fisher, A Gfroerer; HR - D DuMont, E Fisher, SB - D DuMont 2, C Wadsworth, L Shoemake

Mission Valley Pitching: D DuMont 3 innings pitched, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts; C Haggard 2 innings pitched, 4 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts; C Wadsworth 5 innings pitched, 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, Z Muzquiz 0 innings pitched, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts; L Pablo 1 inning pitched, 3 hits, 1 run, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts

Mission Valley sweeps Red Sox

The Mariners thumped Bitterroot 7-2 and 12-6 in a doubleheader against the Red Sox on Wednesday, June 4, in the team’s first road game of the season.

In the first matchup, the Mariners led 2-0 after three innings and plated four runs in the top of the fifth and another in the sixth.

Cole Wadsworth had two hits and an RBI to go with a double. Espn Fisher batted in three runs and had a home run. Cody Haggard drove in two runs, while Wadsworth and Cymian Kauley each had doubles.

Dawson DuMont pitched four innings, allowing no hits while striking out eight and walking eight. Kauley finished the game, scattering five hits, giving up one earned run, and striking out two.

In the second game, Mission Valley scored eight runs in the final four innings for the 12-6 win.

Holden Emerson had three hits, drove in four runs, and had a double in the victory.

Fisher went four innings, allowing no earned runs while striking out eight for the Mariners. Landon Shoemake pitched the final three innings, allowing no earned runs and striking out two.

Mission Valley overcame eight errors. After the game was tied up 4-4 through three innings, the Mariners scored a run in the top of the fourth, two in the fifth, and four in the sixth while adding an insurance run in the seventh.

The Mariners finished with 13 hits as a team, with Wadsworth, Kauley, and Shoemake having multi-hit games. DuMont had a home run in the matchup and drove in two runs, while Wadsworth stole three bases.

The win improved the Mariners' record to 5-2 on the year.

At Hamilton

MARINERS 12, BITTERROOT 6

Mariners - 220 - 124 - 1 - 12 - 13 - 8

Bitterroot - 202 - 011 - 0 - 6 - 7 - 5

Mission Valley Hitting: Hits - H Emerson 3, C Wadsworth 2, C Kauley 2, L Shoemake 2, E Fisher, D DuMont, C Haggard, L Pablo; RBI - H Emerson 4, D DuMont 2, C Wadsworth 2, C Haggard, Z Muzquiz, L Shoemake; 2B: H Emerson, C Haggard, L Pablo; HR - D DuMont; SB - C Wadsworth 3, L Shoemake

Mission Valley Pitching: E Fisher 4 innings pitched, 3 hits, 4 runs, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts; L Shoemake 3 innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 runs, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

MARINERS 7, BITTERROOT 2

Mariners - 002 - 041 - 0 - 7 - 7 - 0

Bitterroot - 000 - 010 - 1 - 2 -5 - 2

Mission Valley Hitting: Hits - C Wadsworth 2, W Wadsworth, E Fisher, C Haggard, C Kauley, H Emerson; RBI - E Fisher 3, C Haggard 2, C Wadsworth 1, 2B - C Wadsworth, C Kauley; HR - E Fisher

Mission Valley Pitching: D DuMont 4 innings pitched, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 8 walks, 8 strikeouts, C Kauley 3 innings pitched, 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned runs, 0 walks,2 strikeouts