Glacier 13-U Babe Ruth wins state title
<p>The Glacier 13-U All Star Babe Ruth team was treated to a ride on a Columbia Falls fire truck. From left are, front row, coach Dave Wick, Marty Anderson, coach Shane Bridwell, Grace Porterfield, Murphy Wick, Trey Gates, Kaleb Gravelin, James Sampson-Keck, Bryce Fagerland and Trevor Hoerner; back row, coach Sonny Johnson, Zak Karlin, Jared Reynolds, Dakota Bridwell, Derek Kastella, Dan Seymour and head coach Davin Kastella.</p>
The Glacier 13-U All Star Babe Ruth team won the state championship on July 15. The Glacier team is made up of seven players from Columbia Falls and six from Whitefish, including one girl.
The team beat Kalispell twice to win the double elimination tournament, both times by an 8-7 margin, coach Davin Kastella said.
In the final game, Glacier was down 7-3 going into the bottom of the seventh inning but rallied with five runs to secure the state title.
It was a long drive to beat Kalispell — the tournament was held in Glendive. Now the team will travel to Meridian, Idaho, for the regional tournament that starts Wednesday, July 25.
If they win that tourney, Glacier will go on to the 13-U Babe Ruth World Series, to be held in Kitsap, Wash., Kastella noted.
Glacier went 4-0 at the state tournament. Last week, the team took celebratory rides through Whitefish and Columbia Falls on fire trucks.