Cats wallop Bigfork, Browning
Kellen Kroger fires in a pitch against Bigfork last week. He struck out 10 batters in the win. (Avery Howe photo)
The Columbia Falls baseball team hammered its competition last week. In a doubleheader on Thursday the Wildcats beat Bigfork 14-1 and 16-3 respectively.
On Saturday, they dropped Browning 21-0 and 28-2. All four games were on the road. The Cats are 11-2 overall.
In the opener against Bigfork Nico Young had the big bat, with four RBIs on three hits as the Cats put up seven runs in the second and six more in the fourth in a game that ended in five on the mercy rule. Young had a homer and a double in the contest while Dayne Tu had a double as well.
Kellen Kroger went the distance on the mound striking out 10.
Kroger was clutch at the plate in the nightcap, with four RBIs with a double in the sixth and a single the same in the same inning that also drove in two.
Jett Pitts struck out 11 and gave up just two hits. AC Chilson had a double and a triple. The Cats had a barrage of hits — every batter had at least one hit but one player.
Against Browning, Cody Schweikert, Young and Sapa all had triples in a game that lasted three innings in the opener.
Jace Hill took the mound and struck out three.
In the nightcap Matt Mitts had four RBIs including a home run as the Wildcats put up 23 runs in the first inning. Schweikert had a triple in the contest as well as a double.
“Bigfork is a young team,” noted coach Chad Green. While they have some up and coming talent, they’re mostly freshmen and a sophomores, with just one junior.
Still, they beat Whitefish earlier this season.
Browning has similar issues, with no youth programs. They’re learning the game at the high school level, which is tough.
Green said he was happy to get Kroger and Pitts some innings as they’re the top pitchers on the squad. It was also good to see Hill pitch well and throw strikes, Green noted.
Things get tougher this week.
They faced Frenchtown on the road Tuesday, then travel to Whitefish Thursday, then host Troy on Saturday.
Whitefish beat the Cats at home earlier this year, so Columbia Falls is definitely looking to avenge the loss.