Glacier Twins fall in district championship game
Zach Veneman connects on a pitch in the West A District Tournament last weekend in Libby. (Paul Sievers photo)
Jack Price slides safely into third base in the West A District Tournament last weekend in Libby. (Paul Sievers photo)
Coby Clark-Dickinson hi-fives his team after a home run in the West A District Tournament last weekend in Libby. (Paul Sievers photo)
Up 4-2 in the top of the seventh inning of Monday’s West A District Championship game, things were looking good for the Glacier Twins.
They’d led since scoring one run in the opening inning, then added to their lead with a three-run sixth inning.
But in the seventh, the Mission Valley Mariner’s got hot, and Eric Dolence’s grand slam put his team up 6-4 for good. That secured the title for the Mariners, as well as a spot to the state tournament later this month in Florence.
It was a tough go for the Twins, who until that point had played a stellar game, racking up eight hits and zero errors.
At the plate, Austyn Andrachick was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Jack Schwaiger was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Jay Tyree was 2-for-3. Coby Clark-Dickinson had a triple.
Zach Veneman took the loss on the mound, striking out six in just over six innings but giving up nine hits.
Monday’s game was the third crack at the Mariners for the Twins, having just blown out Mission Valley 5-0 in Sunday’s championship game after losing to them on Friday. But because Mission Valley was undefeated in the tournament, a second championship game was necessary.
Glacier led 2-0 through five innings and added three more in the sixth, combining for 12 hits total.
Nathan Hader and Jay Tyree kept the Mariner bats to just two hits, with Hader getting the win. He struck out six.
En route to the championship, the Twins took down the Bitterroot Red Sox 4-1, the Libby Loggers 4-1, and the Cranbrook Bandits 6-3. Their tournament loss came to Mission Valley on Friday, 10-7.
That puts an end to the season for the Twins, who finish with a 31-18 record overall.
West A District Championship Game 2
Monday
Mission Valley 000 000 6 — 6111
Glacier 100 003 0 — 4 80
Eric Dolence, Alex Muzquiz (6) and Izyk Gillingham. Zach Veneman, Jack Schwaiger (7) and A. Andrachick. W — Muzquiz. L — Veneman.
Mariners — Izyk Gillingham 1-3, Gabe Mergenthaler 1-2, Eric Dolence 1-4, Corbin Davis 1-4, Keyan Dalbey 0-3, Alex Muzquiz 1-1, Xavier Fisher 1-4, Dawson Dumont 1-3, Trevor Lake 2-3, James Bennett 2-3, Xavier Fisher 0-0. 2B — Davis. HR — Dolence. RBI — Mergenthaler 1, Dolence 4, Bennett 1.
Twins — Jack Schwaiger 2-3, Zach Veneman 1-3, Coby Clark-Dickinson 1-3, Austyn Andrachick 2-4, Stevyn Andrachick 0-4, Forrest Kobelt 0-4, Jay Tyree 2-3, Nathan Hader 0-1, Chad Queen 0-1, Jack Price 0-2. 2B — A. Andrachick, Tyree. 3B — Clark-Dickinson.RBI — Veneman 2, Schwaiger 1, A. Andrachick 1.
West A District Championship Game 1
Sunday
Mission Valley 000 000 0 — 02 1
Glacier 000 113 x —5121
James Bennett, Xavier Fisher (6) and Izyk Gillingham. Nathan Hader, Jay Tyree (6) and Austyn Andrachick.
Mission Valley — Izyk Gillingham 0-3, Gabe Mergenthaler 0-3, Eric Dolence 1-3, Corbin Davis 0-3, Keyan Dalbey 0-1, Xavier Fisher 0-2, Dawson Dumont 1-2, Trevor Lake 0-3, James Bennett 0-3.
Glacier Twins — Jack Schwaiger 2-4, Zach Veneman 2-4, Coby Clark-Dickinson 2-3, Austyn Andrachick 2-3, Stevyn Andrachick 1-4, Forrest Kobelt 0-3, Jay Tyree 2-3, Chad Queen 0-1, Nathan Hader 0-1, Jack Price 1-2. 2B — Veneman, Clark-Dickinson, Tyree. RBI — Veneman 2, Austyn Andrachick 1, Jack Price 1, Stevyn Andrachick 1.