Twins rally falls short against Mavs

Stranded runners and inconsistent pitching kept the Glacier Twins from getting their first conference win last weekend against a talented Missoula team.

The Twins went down twice, losing the opening game at home with the Mavericks 7-4 on Friday after leaving three on base as the final out was called. They dropped the second game 11-5, again missing numerous opportunities to put runs on the board with runners in position.

"In both games, we set a trend of leaving runners on base," Twins coach Lindsay Fansler said. "Against a good hitting team like Missoula, you can't do that."

The Twins out hit Missoula, the top team in the league, 11-8 in Friday's game, and had a chance to pull off a comeback in the ninth inning.

Down 7-3 going into the final frame, Dustin VonFeldt cracked a lead-off home run to spark the Twins bats and the home crowd. The Twins followed by putting three runners on with two outs, but none crossed the plate.

"Two-out base hits are the hardest in baseball," Fansler said. "We need to be prepared and capitalize on them."

Kyler Blades led the Twins at the plate on Friday, going 3-for-4 as the lead-off batter.

Saturday, the Twins fell behind early when the Mavs opened a 6-1 lead in the third inning. Three passed balls in the seventh and eighth innings led to three more runs, as Missoula expanded the lead to 11-1.

"We can't give free passes," Fansler noted. "Our pitchers need to do a better job of throwing strikes. Our defense is solid and they need to trust the defense."

The Twins posted zeros until the eighth when their bats finally woke up.

With one out, Geoff Streeter singled to left field. Cody Elek reached on an infield hit, and Zach Maassen walked to load the bases.

Then, in one of the stranger plays of the season, VonFeldt ripped a long drive to center field. As Missoula's center fielder chased down the ball, he misjudged the trajectory and it bounced off his head and into the fence. Three runs scored and VonFeldt cruised to a stand-up double.

"We dropped Dustin down in the order to get him more fast balls," Fansler said. "He's a veteran and one of the bats that we need to carry us."

Carl Talsma followed with an RBI-single that fell just out of reach of a diving Mavs infielder. The run put the Twins within striking distance at 11-5, but Missoula's pitching closed out the game in the ninth.

Fansler said there are some positives to pull from the weekend of baseball, including that the Twins tallied only one error in 18 innings.

"We play Missoula two more times," he said. "I think they're beatable."

The Twins (12-19, 0-6) go to Wenatchee, Wash., this week to play in the Apple Valley Tournament. Fansler said he'll use the trip west to work on tweaking the lineup before conference play kicks in again at Medicine Hat, Alberta, on June 26.

The next home game for the Twins is against Great Falls on June 30.