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Loggers play with best in home finale Posted: Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008 - 10:21:06 am MDT By Brad Fuqua The Western News
With the rally caps on and the tying run on second, the Libby baseball team found itself just one base hit away from sweeping the defending state champions. The Loggers were playing host to Mission Valley out of Polson in the final home appearance of the season Friday night at the “Lumber Yard.” And even though the Mariners held on by ending the game with a strikeout, Libby proved that it could play with the best.“I give credit to the kids for not panicking,” Loggers coach Kelly Morford said about his team’s ability to come back from a 5-0 deficit and eventually tie the game. “We chipped away at them ... they hit the ball well.” The Loggers did beat the best in the opener with an 8-6 victory. The visitors struck for four runs in the top of the first during an inning that featured two doubles and a home run. But Libby came back with a six-spot in the bottom of the third to boost the Loggers to their 18th victory of the season. With that good defense and the big third, Libby took a 7-4 lead and later 8-5. The Mariners did not go down quietly, however, and pulled to within 8-6 thanks to a bad hop in center field. But Bertelsen got John Rausch to fly out to right and Eric Locke to ground out to first to end the game. Bertelsen worked out of several jams and although he gives a lot of credit to his defense, his poise also played a role. The Mariners came up empty in both the third and fifth innings after loading the bases. In the second game, Mission Valley broke open a scoreless tie with five runs in the top of the third. The Mariners collected six hits in that frame with the biggest coming on a two-RBI single by Nick Fell. The Loggers got on the board in the fourth when Chris Herbig singled and came around to score on a Mariner error. Later in the fifth while trailing 6-1, Libby bats came alive to knot the score. Derek Benefield nailed a double to the center field wall and he quickly scored when Nick Monroe came off the bench with a single to left. Colt Cannon singled, Herbig walked and Bertelsen reached on an error to keep the inning going and the runs scoring. Rory Hendrickson then pulled the Loggers to within one with a two-RBI triple to score Herbig and Bertelsen. And Matt Schad singled to left on the first pitch he saw to score Hendrickson. Mission Valley responded with two runs in the top of the sixth. In what would prove to be the game-winning hit, Tim Rausch doubled down the third-base line to score both Kyle Brown and John Rausch. Libby got back a run in the bottom half on a Herbig single that scored Nate Peltier, who had reached on an error. In the bottom of the seventh, Libby got the tying run to second. Hendrickson reached after hit by a pitch and Schad followed with a sacrifice bunt to move him over. Ryan Stapley followed with an infield grounder and Hendrickson got caught in a rundown for the second out. Stapley stole second but the game ended on a strikeout. “We’re coming together as a team,” Bertelsen said. “We can get those big plays.” In between games, the team’s seniors were honored and both Schad (Kyle Volkers Memorial Scholarship) and Stapley (Rita Morford Memorial Scholarship) were honored. Loggers claim conference crown Libby clinched the Western District’s Northern Conference on Sunday at Eureka with a 22-5 rout over Kootenai Valley. The Loggers controlled the game from the start with four runs in the first inning. Stapley hit a bases-loaded triple to set Libby’s pace. Hendrickson went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs, Benefield finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and Derek Willis hit a three-run homer in the fifth – his first four-bagger of the season. In all, Libby pounded out 18 hits. Benefield went on the hill and allowed one earned run and two walks to go along with four strikeouts. In the second game, Kootenai Valley posted a 7-3 victory. Herbig, Dustin Morningstar and Hendrickson each saw time on the mound. At the plate, Schad went 2-for-3 with one RBI and Schad was 1-for-1 with one RBI. Kootenai Valley scored five runs over the first two innings and then held on late for the victory. Libby finishes 9-3 in the conference and now has an overall record of 19-21. The Loggers played a single game Monday night after deadline at Whitefish. The Loggers now advance to the district tournament at Florence as the No. 1 seed. Morford said his team is scheduled to play at either noon or 3 p.m. on Thursday against Missoula, the No. 4 seed out of the Southern Conference. As of presstime, the game time was tentatively set for noon. Libby splits with Kalispell ‘A’ Logger pitchers allowed only three hits during Wednesday’s double-dip at Kalispell but came away with just one victory. In the first game, Peltier allowed two hits and three walks while striking out 13 in an 8-0 victory. The Loggers erupted for three runs in the second and two more in the third to put Kalispell “A” on its heels. Dustin Morningstar was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with three runs, two RBIs, a double and a home run. Cannon went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two stolen bases. Herbig added a two-RBI single. “Dustin and Colt did a great job of giving us production from the bottom of the lineup,” Morford said. Peltier currently has a 13-inning scoreless streak going. In the nightcap, Kalispell “A” got just one hit but managed to take a 1-0 victory. Benefield was on the hill for the Loggers and he went the distance, allowing no earned runs and two walks to go along with five strikeouts. Kalispell took advantage of a Libby error on a dropped fly ball, scoring the game’s lone run on a wild pitch. “Derek had another solid outing. It is a shame that he had to take the loss with a one-hitter,” Morford said. “That is how the game of baseball goes sometimes I guess.” Bertelsen had Libby’s only hit – a single in the third.
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The Western News
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