Glacier All Stars fall in title game
Luke Lafontaine fields a grounder and throws out a Missoula runner at first base during the Babe Ruth state championship game Sunday at Memorial Park. (Matt Baldwin photo)
The Glacier All Stars' coaching staff was left standing around the mound at Memorial Park on Sunday evening, scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong. Their stranglehold on a third consecutive 15U Babe Ruth baseball title had disintegrated to dirt in a matter of two short innings.
The All Stars let a seven-run lead slip away in the sixth, allowing the Missoula Frontiers to capture a 12-11 win in the title game. Yet it was a wild play and questionable call at second base in the bottom of the seventh that left the All Stars' coaching staff dazed.
Down one run with one out on the board and runners on first and second bases, the All Stars were in position to rally for a come-from-behind win. The All Stars put a ground ball in play, and Missoula easily fielded the ball for a force-out at second base.
As Missoula tried to go to first for a double play, however, the All Stars' Peter Seymour slid into second to try and break up the attempt. Seymour came in hard and knocked the Missoula fielder to the ground before a throw could be made.
From the dugouts and bleachers, it appeared to be a commonplace baseball play. In fact, the same scenario had played out multiple times earlier in the game.
However, after Glacier's coaches ran out to tend to Seymour, who was shaken up during the slide, the umpires convened and called interference on Seymour for the third and final out of the game.
"It's a tough way to end a championship game when it's not in the kids' hands," All Stars coach Eric May said. "You got to live with the umpires' judgment calls."
Despite the wild finish, it was a big sixth inning from Missoula that buried the All Stars. The Frontiers scored eight runs in the inning, including a 3-RBI triple with two outs.
"We were on cruise control," May said. "Then they just banged out some crucial hits."
The All Stars started their scoring in the bottom of the second when Logan Harwood hit a sacrifice fly to score Cooper Olson. Pitcher Luke Lafontaine was then walked home for a 2-0 lead.
Jake May hit a lead-off single to start the third. Lafontaine then hit an infield single to score May from third base. Jake Slaybaugh followed with an RBI-single for a 4-2 lead. With two outs, Lafontaine and Jace Kalbfleisch both scored on a fast ball to cap off the inning's scoring.
Missoula posted two runs in the top of the fourth to make it 6-4. In the bottom half of the inning, Seymour crushed a double that went to the fence. May then hit an RBI-double down the right-field line to score Seymour.
The All Stars opened up the game in the fifth with another four-run inning, including a 2-RBI double from Seymour. Going into the sixth, the All Stars were up 11-5 before Missoula posted their big eight-run at bat.
The All Stars cruised through the tourney up until the sixth inning of the title game. They beat Missoula in 8-2 in pool play July 21, and then crushed Glendive 12-3 and Mission Valley 9-4 Friday.
On Saturday, the All Stars steamrolled Golden Triangle 16-0 and claimed a No. 1 seed for bracket play. In the semi-finals, the All Stars made easy work of North Bitterroot 11-1 to set up the title game against Missoula.