Lakers AA bounce back twice to sweep Lethbridge AA

The Kalispell Lakers AA were in a rally mode on Wednesday evening at Griffin Field, battling back twice from deficits to top the Lethbridge Elks 6-5 and 4-2 in American Legion baseball play.

Kalispell gave up five runs in the top of the first inning to Lethbridge in the opener. The Lakers scored three times in the bottom of the sixth for the 6-5 win.

The Lakers needed two runs in the bottom of the seventh to close out the Elks in the other test.

The sweep pushed the Lakers up to third place in the AA Montana/Alberta Class AA standings with a 12-9 league mark.

The Elks are fourth at 11-10.

The Missoula Mavericks lead with a 17-4 record. The Bozeman Bucks, 14-6, are second.

AJ Wood earned the victory in the 6-5 win. He pitched 2 1/3 innings.

Randy Stultz, 2 for 4, sparked the offense. He doubled and drove in two runs.

Luke Halland, 2 for 3, scored twice.

Logan Siblerud and Ryan McDonald shared mound duties for Kalispell in the second game. Siblerud went five innings. He gave up seven hits and fanned five.

McDonald, who went the final two, earned the win. He allowed three hits, walked a batter and struck out one.

Stultz, 1 for 4, homered and drove in two runs.

Ryan Symmes, 2 for 4, and Connor Drish, one double, were the other top hitters for Kalispell.

Kalispell has three regular-season games left, all at home. There is a single game on Saturday at 7 p.m. with a doubleheader on Sunday starting at noon with Helena.

State AA tournament play begins July 27 in Billings.

Lethbridge 500 000 0 — 5 10 2

Kalispell 110 103 x — 6 8 3

WP—AJ Wood; LP—Nathan Reeder.

LETHBRIDGE — Kalem Haney 2-3, Ty Wevers 0-4, Levi Abbott 2-4, Brendan Schulz 1-4, Noah Wauters 2-4, Skylar Braun 1-3, Zach Tremper 0-3, Dalton Demers 1-4, Logan King 1-3.

KALISPELL — Ryan Symmes 1-3, Randy Stultz 2-4, Eric Seaman 0-2, Connor Drish 1-3, Taylor Morton 0-2, Jack Corriveau 0-2, Luke Halland 2-3, Payton Davison 1-2, Logan Silberud 0-1, Jonathan Craver 1-2.

2B—Braun, Demers, Abbott; Stultz; RBIs—Abbott, Wauters, Braun (2), Demers; Stultz (2), Drish, Davison, Craver.

Lethbridge 010 000 1 — 2 10 3

Kalispell 000 020 2 — 4 7 2

WP—Siblerud; LP—Kale Mosler.

LETHBRIDGE — Haney 0-3, Wauters 1-3, Abbott 1-4, Schulz 4-4, Braun 0-4, Demers 3-4, Josh Kabayama 0-3, Tremper 1-3, King 0-1.

KALISPELL — Symmes 2-4, Stultz 1-4, Seaman 0-1, Drish 1-3, Mo rton 0-3, Corriveau 1-3, Halland 1-3, Davison 0-2, Craver 1-3.

2B—Demers: Drish; HR—Stultz; RBIs—Schulz, Tremper; Stultz (2), Drish.