15U heads to World Series

Glacier 15 is headed for the Babe Ruth World Series.

The all-star team, with players from Bigfork, Columbia Falls and Whitefish, captured the Pacific Northwest Regional baseball title Sunday evening by rallying past Union County from LaGrande, Oregon, 7-5.

Glacier was down 5-2 in the championship game, but took command with a five-run sixth inning to punch its ticket to the World Series in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, on Aug. 13-20.

Austin Green pitched the first four innings. He gave up two hits, two walks and no earned runs.

Bigfork’s Drew Scherrer finished up on the mound. He allowed three hits and one walk over three innings.

Glacier advanced to the regional title game by beating tournament-favorite Longview, Wash., 10-6 in the semifinals earlier Sunday.

The all-stars suffered their only loss on Friday to the host team, The Dalles, 8-7 in front of packed stadium.

“A fun game even though we came up short on the scoreboard,” Glacier coach Chad Green said. “It was also a wake-up call. We had won eight in a row up to that point. It reminded us that we could be beat.”

Glacier opened regional play with a 12-2 win over Riverton, Wyo., last Wednesday and followed by beating Meridian, Idaho, by the same score, on Thursday.

“Our biggest asset is our hitting,” Green said.

“We have solid pitching, but we don’t have a guy who can shut a team down. We have nine guys who can come in and throw strikes.”

Babe Ruth will pay travel expenses for the Glacier players and coaches from Spokane to Nashville. The team will then bus to the tournament site.

Players will stay with host families in Tennessee.

Glacier must pay for its travel and other expenses to Spokane. There will also be other expenses at the World Series.

Individuals wishing to help with expenses can do so by contacting coach Green at 471-3697, Jodie Green at 471-3698 or visit the team’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/glacier15u for the latest information.