Baseball: Glacier 4-0; Bigfork, Polson win big

Kyler Croft hit a go-ahead RBI single in the middle of a six-run fourth inning for Glacier, and the Wolfpack went on to down Columbia Falls 10-3 in non-conference baseball Thursday at Griffin Field.

Columbia Falls had forged a 2-0 lead behind Jett Pitts’ RBI single in the third inning and a fourth-inning balk that brought in Jaxson Caldwell.

The Wolfpack (4-0) quickly seized momentum, getting five straight singles to open their half of the inning from Kaeden Kahler, Brady Buckmaster, Max Weber, Croft — his base hit put Glacier up 3-2 — and Tate Kahler. Brady Lewellen added an RBI double before Neil Pepe tried to bunt his way on board with two out; it was misplayed for an error that let in two more runs.

Lewellen added a sacrifice fly and Ryne Gillette hit a two-run single in the fifth for Glacier.

In the sixth Croft added another RBI single. Pitts doubled in a run in the seventh for the Class A Wildcats (3-2).

Croft threw three innings of relief, allowing three hits, a walk and one earned run. He fanned four. Zeke Dunn started for C-Falls and lasted 4 1-3 innings, striking out seven. Just three of his eight runs allowed were earned.

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Zeke Dunn, Nico Young (5) and n/a. Kaeden Kahler, Kyler Croft (2), Max Weber (5), Ryne Gillette (7) and Brady Buckmaster.

COLUMBIA FALLS — Jory Hill 1-3, Lincoln Fisher 1-4, Young 2-4, Jett Pitts 2-5, T Victor 0-3, C Ross 0-1, Dunn 0-4, Jaxson Cadwell 0-4, Wyatt Dodson 1-3, Kyler Voermans 1-2.

GLACIER — Gillette 1-4, Neil Pepe 0-4, K. Kahler 1-3, Buckmaster 2-4, Weber 1-2, Croft 2-3, Tate Kahler 1-2, Brady Lewellyn 1-3, Beau Schulz 0-1, Teagan Dixon 0-1.

2B — Pitts, Lewellen. RBIs — Pitts 2, Croft 2, Gillette 2, Weber, Lewellen.

Polson 14, Noxon 2

NOXON — Polson’s Holden Emerson hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning and a two-run shot in the sixth as the Pirates won in six innings via the mercy rule.

Noxon was held without a hit by the pitching tandem of Cody Haggard, who threw 4 1-3 innings, and Hunter Luedtke, who got the final five outs. Haggard recorded all 13 outs via strikeout; Luedtke fanned four of the seven batters he faced.

Emerson’s first home run was followed by a solo shot from Haggard; by then Polson led 10-0.

The game was 0-0 before Polson broke through with four runs in the fourth inning. Cole Wadsworth’s two-out RBI single put the Pirates up 1-0. Three errors, a walk and a wild pitch pushed across three more runs.

Wadsworth, Brayson DuMont and Emerson scored three runs each; Paxson DuMont had three hits for Polson. Carson Emerson drove in two runs.

Bigfork 13, Libby 3

BIGFORK — Vikings leadoff hitter Rye Rodriguez had three hits, including a triple, and scored three times as Bigfork downed Northwest A foe Libby.

Rodriguez hit a two-run single in the fourth inning. He tripled to lead off the first for Bigfork (4-0), which scored three times in the frame without an RBI. Five walks and an error led to four more runs and a 7-0 Viking lead in the second.

Hayden Mayer and Mason Lewis combined on a five-inning three-hitter for Bigfork; the game ended then under the mercy rule. Mayer allowed all three hits in four innings, along with two walks and three earned runs. He struck out seven. Lewis, who doubled in a run, fanned one batter.

Ian Thom had an RBI double and came in on Hunter Rooney’s single in the third inning for Libby (1-2).

Hamilton 12, Ronan 0

HAMILTON — Darrius Baltz rapped out two singles and Joseph Fulwiler hit another for Ronan, but that’s all the (0-4) Chiefs got against Hamilton pitcher Connor Quinn in a five-inning non-conference loss.

Quinn issued two walks, struck out six and helped his own cause with an RBI double. Boedy Tadvick had three hits, including a double, and drove in three for the Broncs (3-0).