White goes 2-for-4 for Lakers
By FAITH MOLDAN
Bigfork Eagle
Although the Kalispell Lakers struggled to put up runs against the Missoula Mavericks June 3, Bigfork's John White produced at the plate with two hits.
The Lakers scored their only run in the 9-1 loss at Griffin Field in the bottom of the eighth inning on a single by third baseman Adam Olson. He scored Austin Zapata from second base. White followed Olson's hit with his second hit of the game.
White singled in both the eighth inning and the second, when he started the Lakers' half of the inning with a hit. Derek Keller's sacrifice hit advanced him to second base, where White would be stranded as the other two Laker batters couldn't reach base.
Kalispell, 2-1 in league after the home-field loss and 17-7 overall, stranded nine base runners during the game.
The Lakers' defense didn't help its pitching staff, committing three errors. An error in the third inning allowed two runs to eventually come in, as a bunt popped into the air and the runners advanced and bases were loaded. The two runs the Mavs scored that inning made the score 3-0 in favor of Missoula.
White, part of the Lakers' pitching staff, played first against the Mavs. Tyler Reichhoff started on the mound for the Lakers and Greg Neils finished the game there. Reichhoff pitched seven innings and recorded the loss for Kalispell. The Mavs' Tyler King hit a solo homer off of Reichhoff in the seventh inning to make the score 6-0. Neils struck out one Missoula batter and hit one as well. The Mavs tallied nine hits in the game.
The Mavs' pitchers — Connor Dwyer and Travis Johnsen — limited the Lakers to seven hits in the game with good command. Dwyer struck out four Lakers and walked two. He allowed four hits. White was the only Kalispell batter who recorded two hits. Dwyer pitched seven scoreless innings.
The Lakers and Mavericks faced off again the next evening in Missoula at Lindborg-Cregg field.
Missoula out hit the Lakers 15-2 in the second matchup, and won in seven innings 21-0. The Lakers' record now stands at 2-2 in league and 17-8 overall. They play next in the Summer Palousa Tournament in Pullman, Wash. June 8-10.
Missoula 9, Kalispell 1
Missoula 012 020 103 - 9 9 0
Kalispell 000 000 010 - 1 7 3
Connor Dwyer, Travis Johnsen (8) and Sean Dwyer. Tyler Reickhoff, Greg Neils (8) and Pat Hergesheimer. W - C. Dwyer (4-2). L - Reichhoff.
MISSOULA - Taylor King 3-4, Dan Belet 1-4, C. Dwyer 0-3, Brendan Brown 0-1, Mac Cuffe 1-4, Cody Burgmeier 0-1, Chris Bartenhagen 1-4, Taylor Nordby 0-0, Johnsen 1-4, S. Dwyer 1-3, Max Smith 1-4.
KALISPELL - Jacob Scott 1-5, Austin Zapata 1-4, Tyler Reichhoff 0-2, Adam Olson 1-4, John White 2-4, Derek Keller 1-3, Zach Davis 1-3, Zac Ford 0-4, Pat Hergesheimer 0-4.
2B - Bartenhagen; Zapata. HR - King. RBIs. - King 2, C. Dwyer 2, Brown, Bergmeir, Bartenhagen.
Kalispell 000 000 0 - 0 2 8
Missoula 215 346 x - 21 15 2
Zach Davis, Adam Olson (4) and Pat Hergesheimer, Tony Lawrence (4). Cody Burgmeier, Brendan Brown (6) and Chris Bartenhagen. W - Burgmeier. L - Davis.
KALISPELL - Jacob Scott 0-3, Austin Zapata 1-3, Tyler Reichoff 0-2, Zac Ford 0-0, Olson 0-2, John White 0-3, Derek Keller 1-3, Davis 0-1, Lawrence 0-1, Hergesheimer 0-1, Greg Neils 0-0, Tucker Hankinson 0-3.
MISSOULA - Taylor King 0-1, Drew Lytle 0-2, Dan Belet 0-4, Mike Spritzer 1-1, Conor Dwyer 1-2, Mac Cuffe 1-4, Bartenhagen 4-4, Mike Ponton 3-5, Travis Johnsen 1-4, Taylor Nordby 2-3, Max Smith 2-5.
2B - Keller, Spritzer, Dwyer, Nordby. RBIs - King, Spritzer, Dwyer, Bartenhagen 4, Ponton 4, Nordby 3, Smith 2.