Mariners hit bumps leading up to Districts
Melea Burke
Derek Peel
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The Mission Valley Mariners suffered two pairs of hard losses last week before picking up a win over the Kootenai Valley Rangers on Friday.
Monday the 13th proved unlucky for the Mariners as they faced two knockouts in Hamilton, falling 13-1 in the first round and 15-1 in the second to a hard-hitting Bitterroot Red Sox crew. Starting pitcher Derek Peel kept his cool through the first two innings, but a third-inning five-run rally by the Red Sox left the Mariners struggling to stay on their feet. Peel tossed six hits and allowed five earned runs, but not before striking out a pair and walking just one batter.
On the offensive side, the Mariners found themselves in trouble, logging only five hits. Nyqolas Gillingham went 2-2 with a single and a double, and Justin Young knocked in his team’s lone run.
In the nightcap, Russ Matt and AJ Jones took to the mound for the Mariners, with Jones taking the loss in the game that was called after just five innings. The Mariners managed just five hits, with Peel knocking in a single RBI for his team’s only mark on the scoreboard. Jacob Harrod singled twice and Young had a double.
On Wednesday, the Mariners faced another tough opponent in the Glacier Twins A team. The Whitefish team swept the doubleheader 10-3, 11-0. Behind Greyson Bistodeau on the mound, the Twins got off to a five-run lead in the first frame of the opener, and the Mission Valley boys could never recover, despite a solid effort by Tyson Petticrew with two RBIs and two hits.
In the second round, Twins slingers Jesse Walburn and Bistodeau allowed just one hit each, which came from Micah McClure and Young.
The Mariners fared better on Friday as they took on the Kootenai Valley Rangers in Eureka, with Peel allowing just three hits and striking out seven en route to Mission Valley’s 2-0 victory. At the plate, Jacob Harrod went 1-2 with a double and both RBIs for the Mariners’ two points. Peel was 2 for 3 with a single and a double.
After a district sweep last year, the Mariners hope to hold the title and create some noise at home as they host the Western A District Tournament this weekend. The top two teams from Districts will continue to state action July 30–Aug. 3 in Kalispell.
Mission Valley 2, Kootenai Valley 0
M. Valley 002 000 0 -- 2?K. Valley 000 000 0 -- 0
Mission Valley 3, Whitefish 10
M. Valley 003 000 0 – 3 4 4
Whitefish 510 022 x – 10 12 3
Bransen Krebs, Noah McDonald (6) and Kade Schutzman. AJ Wetsch, Colten Parker (7) and Ty Murphy. W – Wetsch. L – Krebs.
2B – Jayce Fagerland, James Sampson-Keck. RBIs – Tyson Petticrew 2, Krebs; Sampson-Keck, Vinny Smith 4, AJ Wetsch.
Mission Valley 0, Whitefish 11
M. Valley 000 00 – 0 2 1
Whitefish 055 1x – 11 10 0
W – Greyson Bistodeau. L – Warren Wood.
2B – Sampson-Keck 2, Smith 2. 3B – Smith. RBIs – Fagerland 2, Tyler Murphy 2, Colten Parker, Austin Robins, Sampson-Keck, Jesse Walburn.
