Twins eliminated from playoffs after tough loss to Missoula

The Glacier Twins' run for a playoff spot in AA Legion Baseball ended July 23 when they were eliminated from contention after a tough 10-6 loss to Missoula at Memorial Field.

Zach Maassen crushed a grand slam to center in the fourth inning, and Kyler Blades added a solo shot in the fifth, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the league champion Mavericks. Missoula rallied with five runs in the fifth to take the lead for good.

The Twins had scoring chances down the stretch but ended up stranding runners in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings.

Kyler Blades finished 3-for-4, while Devyn Rocker, Jeremy Neilsen, Geoff Streeter, Chris King, Carl Talsma and Maassen each had one hit.

The Twins needed a win along with a Kalispell Lakers loss to make the playoffs, but Kalispell ended up knocking off Lethbridge 5-4 on Sunday.

"It was a good day of baseball in the western conference," Twins coach Lindsay Fansler said. "It's been a long time since the Glacier Twins have played meaningful baseball this late in the season. We were definitely proud of the position we put ourselves in, but we couldn't get the win today."

The Twins might have missed the playoffs, but the club showed great improvement over past seasons. They nearly doubled their win total, and they beat every team in the conference at least once, including a sweep of top-ranked Missoula.

Memorial Park was often packed, too, likely due to a combination of fan-friendly events and the Twins' potent offense.

"It's always good for the kids to see that type of atmosphere at the park," Fansler said. "If the Twins are going to be successful going forward, we need to keep that up. People come out to watch when we play good baseball."

Fansler noted that defense was steady all year, and pitching came into better shape toward the end of the season. He said he's also proud of how the players represented themselves and the Twins organization both on and off the field.

"We had great contribution all around," he said. "A lot of those kids have been through a lot of coaching changes and losing seasons."

As for next year, the Twins will lose 10 of its current 13 team members.

"But I've got some good athletes coming up," Fansler said. "We're looking to have a strong club again next year."

The coach said he'll return next season.

The Twins have the added incentive of playing host to the state tournament next year. Although the host team gets an automatic slot, the Twins have higher goals in mind.

"We're going to make sure our goal is to qualify for that," Fansler said.

Missoula 104 050 000 - 10 9 2

Glacier 000 510 000 - 6 9 2

Brent Daugherty, Shawn McCarthur (6), Tanner Rheinschmidt (7), Nathan Jewett (9) and Steven DeYoung, Luke Bewley (6). Cody Hill, Zach Maassen (5), Devyn Rocker (9) and Jim Jumper, Jeremy Neilsen (4). W - Daugherty. L - Hill.

Missoula - Ben Roberts 3-4, Brody Miller 1-3, Riley King 1-4, DeYoung 2-5, Jewett 1-3, Rheinschmidt 0-3, Kyle Booi 0-2, Conner Anderson 0-1, Andrew Sopko 0-2, Bewley 0-1, Tres Cunningham 1-3.

HR - King. 3B - Roberts. 2B - Cunningham. RBI - Roberts 1, King 2, Jewett 1, Anderson 1, Bewley 1.

Glacier - Devyn Rocker 1-4, Jumper 0-2, Neilsen 1-2, Kyler Blades 3-4, Cody Elek 0-2, Geoff Streeter 1-4, Chris King 1-4, Chase Anderson 0-1, Carl Talsma 1-2, Zach Maassen 1-3, Jack Cronin 0-3.

HR - Blades, Maassen. 2B - Blades. RBI - Maassen 4, Talsma 1, Blades 1.