Mariners drop tournament championship to Red Sox
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Even for the talented Mission Valley Mariners, all good things must come to an end. Although the Mission Valley Mariners fell to the Bitterroot Red Sox 7-2 during the John R. Harp Memorial Tournament in Kalispell this past weekend, the team continues to play good baseball, winning three of their past four tournaments. According to head coach Jami Hanson, the Mariners will be tested this week as they have a busy schedule to finish the season.
“I’m proud of the team but we need to continue to play well,” Hanson said. “We have a busy week ahead of us.”
The week will consist of eight conference games in six days, which will test the tired team, which has been racking up a large number of games throughout the past month.
“We need to keep playing our game,” Hanson said.
The Mariners defeated four teams to arrive at the championship game against the Bitterroot Red Sox on Sunday.
Mission Valley first defeated the Vauxhall Spurs 7-0, before defeating Mead High School 6-2. Later in the tournament the Mariners beat the Asotin County Blues 3-0, and the Calgary Redbirds 11-0.
The four wins led the Mariners to play the Bitterroot Red Sox on Sunday. The Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but the Mariners rallied in the second inning to tie the game 2-2. The Red Sox continued to tally runs on the Mariners in the third to lead 4-2. The Mariners were unable to put up additional runs to combat their increasing deficit, allowing the Red Sox to walk away with a 7-2 victory.
For the Mariners, Jacob Young led the team at bat, hitting 2 for 3, while teammate Kevin Hagadorn went 1 for 3, with two RBIs.
Earlier in the week, the Mariners were handed a pair of losses to the Class A Missoula Mavericks during a doubleheader Tuesday at Lindborg-Cregg Field in Missoula. During the first game, the Mariners struggled to keep up with the Mavericks, as the game was called in the sixth inning due to the 10-run margin rule. In the second game the Mavericks continued to keep the Mariners’ offense at bay, winning 11-4.
In the opener, Robbie Gauthier and Kevin Hagadorn both finished the game with one RBI a piece for the Mariners.
For the Mavericks, Tanner Maier went 4 for 4 with two doubles, four runs and an RBI to lead his team. Shane Olson contributed a triple and three RBIs, while Nick Evans went 2 for 3.
Things didn’t get much better for the Mariners during the second half of the doubleheader as the Mavericks continued to perform well on defense, holding Mission Valley to just four runs.
The Mariners led the Mavericks 4-1 after the first three innings, but a 10-run bottom of the fourth inning propelled Missoula to sizeable lead, which they held throughout the remainder of the game.
For the Mariners, Chris Clary and Hagadorn both contributed a single for their team.
For Missoula, Olson finished the game with a double and two RBIs, while teammate Anthony Contonio went 4 for 4 with a double and an RBI.
