All-Stars take tourney

By FAITH MOLDAN

Bigfork Eagle

The Bigfork All-Stars took the name of the Last Chance Tournament to heart.

Bigfork competed in the tournament July 28-29, finishing with a 3-1 tournament record.

After supposedly finishing their season at the district tournament July 5-8, the All-Stars hit the field again and came out on top with a 5-1 win in the championship game. All five of the team's runs came in the top of the sixth inning, and Bigfork was able to hold its Kalispell opponents to just one run in the bottom of the inning.

Bigfork won both of its Saturday games — against Kalispell's 12-year-olds and Kalispell's 11-year-olds — by scores of 2-1 and 7-2. Jake and Josh Mitich combined for 10 strikeouts in the 7-2 win. The All-Stars lost their Sunday morning game to Medicine Hat 6-1.

The All-Stars had base-runners throughout the championship game with occasional basehits, but the Kalispell defense kept Bigfork from scoring early on. During the top of the third inning, the Kalispell first baseman made a diving and almost somersaulting catch on a fly ball hit by Josh Mitich in foul territory to record an out. Mitich went 5-for-13 in the tournament with one walk and scored three runs.

No base-runner for either team made it further than third base until the top of the sixth inning, when Bigfork opened the floodgates.

"I knew we were going to score in the top of the sixth," Bigfork coach James Lafontaine said. "The top of our lineup was up."

Luke Lafontaine, who was 6-for-13 at the plate with three runs scored and four RBI, drove in one run on a double to left center. Bigfork pitcher Jake Mititch made the first out of the inning, hitting a hard line drive right to the Kalispell second baseman. Mitich struckout nine batters in the game. He was 3-for-7 at the plate with one homerun and three RBI.

Mitchell Harsh reached base with a hit to shallow center field. Harsh finished the tournament with four hits in nine at-bats. He walked three times and drove in three runs. Harsh's sixth-inning hit made the score 2-0.

Wyatt Fisher. whose patience at the plate brought him four walks during the tournament, loaded the bases with a walk and two outs in the sixth inning. With the bases loaded, Bigfork's left fielder Ryan Buschang stepped up to the plate and hit a three-run double to make the score 5-0. He had four hits in the tournament.

Kalispell scored their one run with one out in the inning. After a double, another basehit scored the lone run but Jake Mitich recorded his second strikeout of the inning to hold off any big scoring threat and the final out came as a Kalispell pinch runner was thrown out at second base trying to lead off.

Jeremiah Franklin had two sacrafices in the tournament for Bigfork. He scored one run and walked once with four hits. Colton Wild added four hits for Bigfork. He had one RBI and scored twice. Dillon Hilling and Josh Sandry both had one hit. Hilling walked once and scored one run.

Bigfork's record moved to 25-10 after the tournament.