C-Falls, Polson win in Missoula; Bigfork beats Ronan

MISSOULA — The Columbia Falls Wildcats don’t mind playing at Ogren Park-Allegiant, and neither do the Polson Pirates.

The Wildcats beat Florence 8-3 and Polson downed Corvallis 8-2 Thursday at the Missoula PaddleHeads High School Showcase, hosted by Frenchtown High.

Whitefish and Frenchtown were set to play Thursday’s 7 p.m. game, but it was rained out. Same with the game between Missoula Sentinel and Hamilton.

The tournament continues Friday and Saturday.

C-Falls 8, Florence 3

Nico Young scatted four hits and a walk in six innings of work for Columbia Falls, and helped his own cause with three hits and an RBI.

An RBI double by Chase Wagner sparked a three-run third inning by the Falcons (4-3), but the Wildcats (6-3) answered with four runs in the bottom of the frame to lead 6-3. Lincoln Fisher’s RBI single put them ahead for good, 4-3; Jaxson Cadwell added an RBI double and later scored on a double steal.

Jory Hill doubled to lead off the fourth for the Cats, and Young drove him in with a single. Young struck out nine Falcons; the game ended after six innings under the time limit.

Polson 8, Corvallis 2

Cole Wadsworth had three hits and scored three times and Clay Wadsworth threw three innings of hitless relief for the Pirates.

Cole Wadsworth singled and scored to spark a three-run first inning for Polson (5-4); Paxson DuMont had the big hit, a two-run single. Wadsworth singled again in the second and came in on Holden Emerson’s single. Cody Haggard hit a double to drive in Emerson for a 5-2 Pirate lead.

Haggard had two doubles and three RBIs. Clay Wadsworth, who took over for Hunter Luedtke in the fifth, also hit a double. Luedtke allowed three hits, a walk and two unearned runs in his four innings of work. He fanned two.

Corvallis fell to 3-7.

Bigfork 13, Ronan 3

BIGFORK — “Free” passes made a difference in this one, with Bigfork collecting three walks and three hit by pitches during a six-run second inning.

A hit batter, a single and back-to-back errors led to three Ronan (1-7) runs in the top of the second, but the Chiefs’ 3-2 lead didn’t last long.

Cavin Weist was hit to lead off Bigfork’s half of the inning; he came around on two stolen bases and a throwing error. A bases-loaded error let Holland Jantzen score the run that put the Vikings (7-2) up 4-3; Max Schara soon walked to reload the bases and Hayden Mayer and Mason Lewis were hit by pitches to drive in two more runs.

Wiest came up again and capped the uprising with a two-run single, making it 8-3.

Jantzen had two of Bigfork’s eight hits, including a double. Ryder Hamilton also hit a double. Mayer ended up with three RBIs; it was his sacrifice fly that brought in Bigfork’s 13th run, ending the game under the mercy rule.

Lewis also pitched five innings, allowing one hit — a single by Ben Mitchell — along with four walks and no earned runs. He struck out four.