Mariners take trophy at Firecracker Tournament
Carrie Pichler
Mission Valley Mariner Bransen Krebs
Carrie Pichler
Mission Valley Mariner Raymond Matt
Carrie Pichler
Mission Valley Mariner Ryan Pablo
Carrie Pichler
Mission Valley Mariner TJ Olson
Carrie Pichler
TJ Olson and Monty Morengo
Carrie Pichler
Zeke Webster and Monty Morengo
Carrie Pichler
Firecracker tournament champions
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After snagging another conference win against Libby on Tuesday, bringing their league record to 6-3, the M’s returned home to capture their hometown-hosted Firecracker Tournament, going out with a bang in the championship win against Helena’s Reps.
Mariner bats exploded out of the gate in Thursday’s opening tournament contest with both TJ Olson and Bradley Pichler blowing it out of the park, each parking two run homeruns against Deer Lodge’s pitching, leading the M’s into the 16-2 victory. Bransen Krebs recorded the win for the Mariners, throwing five innings from the hill and giving up only two walks with a pair of strikeouts. With his homerun, Olson added a perfect plate performance with a double and six RBIs. Zeke Webster-Yaqui also played it perfect going 3-3 and chipping in two additional runs batted in.
Due to a team dropping out of the tournament at the last minute, the Mariners filled the spot playing an extra uncounted game against the Libby Loggers, with the M’s falling behind in the 7-11 loss. Webster-Yaqui and Olson each went 3-4 with Webster-Yaqui adding three RBIs and Pichler chipped in two more.
Later on Friday, booms from fireworks filled the air outside the park but inside it was all about the M’s fans making their own noise as the Mariners had them on their feet in the nail biting 5-4 win over Dillon. Ryan Pablo led at the dish going 2-3 with a double, while Killian, Olson, and Pichler each had an RBI with Pichler knocking in the go ahead run for the Mariners. Trevor Paro snagged the win on the mound after coming in for relief tossing four and two thirds innings, striking out four, walking none, and allowing zero earned runs.
In Saturday’s game against the Cranbrook Bandits, the Mariners clinched their pool play top spot by shutting down the Bandits 5-0. Killian moved from behind the plate to take the mound and earn the W, striking out nine Bandit batters. Pablo gained two hits out of four at bats with a double and a pair of RBIs and Paro added a run on a triple.
Taking to the diamond in Sunday’s championship contest, Webster-Yaqui blew away the Helena Reps, going the distance on the bump, striking out seven Reps and allowing only two earned runs in the 8-3 championship win. Webster-Yaqui also dominated on the offense side of the plate going 3-4 with two RBIs. Olson added an additional two runs in his 2-3 with two doubles performances bringing the Mariners to the 2014 Firecrack-er trophy.
Following the final game, an awards presentation brought two Mariners hardware with Webster-Yaqui winning the Offensive Award and Olson boasting an MVP trophy. Olson, who went 10-16 for the tournament with three doubles and a homerun, credits working hard for the MVP payoff but also believes his team is coming together and inspiring each other to do their very best producing positive results on the field.
“I think we did great,” Olson said. “We’re finally doing a good job of staying up and staying in it the whole game, not letting little things get to us in our heads and keeping each other up. That’s what we’ve got to do.”
As for the M’s rocky start and where they are now, Olson said the team has “come a long way after starting from the bottom” and are now proving themselves and playing “Mariner baseball” with a goal to take it one step at a time: first Districts, then State, and keeping in the backs of their heads, a very hopeful run at Regionals.
The Mariners will take to the road July 9 to run head to head with Glacier’s Twins in Whitefish and then return home July 10 to host the Bitterroot Red Sox in a week of conference play. July 11-13 the M’s will travel to Kalispell to compete in the non-conference John Harp Tournament.
Results
Mariners 2 0 3 4 3 0 4 – 16 10 1
Libby Loggers 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 – 2 7 7
Cole Snyder 0-2, Zeke Webster-Yaqui 2-2, Alex Killian 1-4, TJ Olson 1-4, Bradley Pichler 1-3, Bransen Krebs 3-5, Jacob Harood 2-4, Jared Young 0-3, Trevor Paro 0-4, Aaron Rasmussen 0-1.
2B – Webster-Yaqui (2), Olson, Pichler. RBIs – Killian (4), Pichler (4), Krebs (3), Harrod (2), Olson.
Mariners 2 6 6 2 – 16 17 1
Deer Lodge Wranglers 0 0 1 0 1 – 2 4 2
Ryan Pablo 1-3, Zeke Webster-Yaqui 3-3, Alex Killian 2-4, TJ Olson 4-4, Bradley Pichler 1-3, Derek Peel 2-4, Jacob Harrod 2-3, Jared Young 1-3, Trevor Paro 1-2, Raymond 0-0.
2B – Killian (2), Webster-Yaqui, Olson, Harrod. 3B – Paro. HR – Olson, Pichler. RBIs – Olson (6), Webster-Yaqui (2), Killian (2), Pichler (2), Pablo, Harrod, Young, Paro.
Mariners 2 0 1 3 0 1 – 7 8 2
Libby Loggers 4 4 0 0 0 3 – 11 10 3
Ryan Pablo 1-4, Zeke Webster-Yaqui 1-4, Alex Killian 0-3, TJ Olson 3-4, Bradley Pichler 1-3, Jared Young 0-3, Jacob Harrod 0-2, Bransen Krebs 0-3, Trevor Paro 0-2, Raymond Matt 0-0.
2B – Pablo. 3B – Webster-Yaqui. RBIs – Webster-Yaqui (3), Pichler (2), Killian.
Mariners 1 1 1 0 2 0 – 5 10 1
Dillon Cubs 2 0 2 0 0 0 – 4 6 3
Ryan Pablo 3-4, Zeke Webster-Yaqui 0-1, Alex Killian 3-4, TJ Olson 1-2, Bradley Pichler 1-2, Cole Snyder 0-3, Jacob Harrod 1-3, Bransen Krebs 0-3, Trevor Paro 1-3, Raymond Matt 0-0.
2B – Pablo, Killian. RBIs – Killian, Olson, Pichler.
Mariners 0 4 0 0 0 1 – 5 9 1
Cranbrook Bandits 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 5 0
Ryan Pablo 2-4, Zeke Webster-Yaqui 1-2, Cole Snyder 0-2, TJ Olson 0-3, Bradley Pichler 0-3, Derek Peel 1-3, Jacob Harrod 2-3, Bransen Krebs 2-3, Trevor Paro 1-3.
2B – Pablo, Harrod. 3B – Paro. RBIs – Pablo (2), Krebs, Paro.
Mariners 2 2 0 1 1 2 – 8 13 2
Helena Reps 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 – 3 5 1
Ryan Pablo 2-4, Zeke Webster-Yaqui 3-4, Alex Killian 1-3, TJ Olson 2-3, Bradley Pichler 0-2, Derek Peel 1-4, Jacob Harrod 1-2, Bransen Krebs 2-3, Trevor Paro 1-2, Raymond Matt 0-0.
2B – Olson (2), Pablo, Killian, Krebs. RBIs – Webster-Yaqui (2), Olson (2), Killian, Pichler, Krebs, Paro.
