Twins have great run in regional tourney

The Glacier Twins’ bid for a Northwest Class A American Legion regional championship title ended Monday — but not without a valiant effort.

The Twins fell to the Cody, Wyo. Cubs 2-1 in a pitcher’s dual in the consolation semifinal. A.J. Wetsch went the distance for the Twins, giving up just four hits.

The Twins got on the board first after Colten Parker drew a two-out walk. Vinny Smith then drove Cubs pitcher John Beaudrie’s 1-0 pitch to deep center field for an RBI double.

But the boys couldn’t muster any runs after that. The Cubs answered with a run in the bottom of the first inning and two more in the fifth to make it 3-1. Beaudrie then shut down the Twins, striking out seven in the game, to secure the victory.

Smith finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Tristin Steinwand matched his teammates’ effort with a 2-for-4 performance of his own. Jayce Fagerland, Kyler Howke and Parker each recorded hits for the Twins.

There’s was plenty of drama in the Twins’ playoff run. They opened the tourney with an 8-4 win against Fairbanks, Alaska, on Aug. 8. Wetsch got the win in that battle, and Smith had a double, triple and two RBIs in the victory.

The next day, the Twins had a tough time against Pocatello, Idaho, losing 15-4. They spotted the Razorbacks 10 runs after three innings and never recovered.

But the boys were still alive in the double elimination tournament. On Sunday, they game from behind to beat North Medford, Ore., 13-11 after scoring three runs in the top of the ninth to secure the come-from-behind victory over the Mavericks.

Fagerland doubled to right field and allowed Tyler Murphy to score from second to tie the game. Parker then came up to bat and hit his second double of the contest to drive in Fagerland and give the Twins a 12-11 lead. A balk eventually scored Parker from third.

Parker then pitched the bottom of the ninth in relief, striking out two batters to secure the save. The Twins outhit the Mavericks 18-6 but also had five errors.

The Glacier Twins had one of their best seasons in decades, taking the state Class A championship with a core group of young players.

Going into the tournament, they were hitting .333 as a team and had an on-base percentage of .425. They ended the season with an overall record of 41-26 and 12-8 in regular season conference play.