2011 Great Falls Chargers News
July 22, 2011
The Great Falls Chargers played host to the Bozeman Bucks on Friday at Don Olson Field, looking to build a fivegame winning streak to take into next week’s state Class AA American Legion baseball tournament.
Instead, the Chargers dropped a pair of nonleague contests, and will have to rediscover a winning formula when they begin play on Wednesday in Butte.
In the first game, Bozeman scored three runs in the seventh to pull out an 8-7 victory. Great Falls left two runners on base in its half of the inning.
The Chargers tallied four runs in the sixth frame of the nightcap, tying the game at 9all, but Bozeman plated five runners in the top of the seventh and went on to win 14-9.
Great Falls completed regular-season play at 35-23.
Bozeman collected 19 hits in the sweep, eight in the first game and 11 in the second.
“One of the things that happened to us today was a mental let up. We were too relaxed today,” said manager Aaron Johnson, adding that he’s confident the Chargers will be a lot more focused at the state tournament. “We need to learn how to put teams away. We have to be focused on every pitch.”
Outfield Cayden Napierala, who smacked a pair of solo home runs in the second game, agreed with his coach. “We feel good about our chances at state. We’ve been there before,” he said.
“We need to get some luck, and our pitchers have to be on,” he added. “We have the offense.”
The Chargers banged out 19 hits, seven for extra bases, in Friday’s two losses.
Johnson played a host of team members who haven’t gotten a lot of playing time this season, and they turned in good efforts, he said. “Those guys did some good things, and I’m happy for them.”
WHITEFISH — The Great Falls Chargers split a Western AA American Legion doubleheader with the Glacier Twins here on Sunday, rebounding from an 8-3 opening-game loss with a 3-2 victory.
Hunter Carlyon belted his team-leading sixth home run of the season as the Chargers edged the Twins in the second game.
Great Falls climbed back from a 2-0 deficit in the fourth when Trevor Johnson singled and Carlyon homered. The Chargers scored the game-winner in the top of the seventh when Hart singled in Davis, who had been hit by a pitch.
Tanner Watson allowed one earned run in six innings to earn the win. Tyler Stanich worked the seventh inning after a Watson walk to pick up the save.
Glacier's Devyn Rocker out-dueled Tyson Patterson and Spenser Hart in the opener. Rocker scattered nine hits and allowed three earned runs in a complete-game effort. Great Falls commited six errors.
The Chargers took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Taylor Davis singled and later scored on a wild pitch.
The Twins answered with seven runs in the bottom of the fifth to take control.
Trevor Johnson was 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs for the Chargers while Davis finished with a pair of hits.
The Chargers (12-6, 33-31) meet Medicine Hat at Don Olson at 3 p.m. on Tuesday in their final conference games of the season.
July 16, 2011
With the American Legion AA state tournament less than two weeks away, the Great Falls Chargers are looking to finish the regular season strong before heading to Butte.
Trevor Johnson helped the Chargers take a step in that direction on Saturday as he scattered eight hits in a complete- game victory as Great Falls defeated the visiting Lethbridge Elks 6-2 at Don Olson Field.
The Chargers (32-20, 11-5) never trailed in the contest, which was a makeup of Wednesday’s rained out game. Great Falls regained a one-game lead atop the standings with the win, combined with Missoula’s 13-7 loss Saturday in Medicine Hat.
The only significant trouble Johnson ran into came in the top of the sixth. With the Chargers leading 4-0, a oneout error and back-to-back singles scored one run. Then Lethbridge’s Chris Stodolka lined a single off of Johnson’s kneecap to score another run. Johnson remained in the game and struck out the next Elks hitter to end the inning.
Spenser Hortick stroked a two-run single over a drawn-in infield in the bottom of the sixth to give the Chargers some breathing room and Johnson worked around a two-out walk in the seventh to finish the win.
Johnson used a double play to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the third. Three consecutive singles loaded the bases for the Elks, but Johnson induced a two-hopper to first baseman Tanner Watson, started the home-to-first double play. Johnson got the next hitter to pop out to end the inning.
Cayden Napierala gave the Chargers a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the top of the first inning. Great Falls added to its lead in the third as Hunter Carlyon and Hortick opened the frame with back-to-back singles. After a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Davis, Carlyon scored on a well-executed squeeze bunt by Dustin Popham to lead 2-0.
The Chargers added two more runs in the fourth as Carlyon and Hortick once again connected for back-to-back singles and Davis scored them both with another single to stretch the lead to 4-0.
Hortick finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Carlyon was 3-for-3 with three runs scored. And
Trevor Johnson earned his sixth win of the year against three losses.
July 13, 2011
Hunter Carlyon homered and knocked in four runs to spark the Great Falls Chargers to a 19-6 thrashing of the Lethbridge Spitz Elks Wednesday afternoon in a Western AA Legion baseball game at Don Olson Field.
The second game of the scheduled doubleheader was rained out. It will be made up either this weekend or next weekend.
The Chargers took advantage of six hit batsmen and made the most of their six hits en route to the triumph. It was halted after five innings by the 10-run mercy rule.
The victory broke a four-game losing streak.
Right-hander Tyler Stanich pitched all five innings and gained his sixth victory in eight decisions this summer. He struck out seven and allowed only three hits.
Carlyon hammered a three-run shot in the bottom of the first inning.
Great Falls added one run in the second, then scored seven times in the third and eight more times in the fourth.
Spenser Hortick also homered for the Chargers. The shortstop went 3-for-3 with five RBIs.
Robbie Schwenck had two hits for the Chargers, who are scheduled to play the Glacier Twins in Whitefish on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 PM.
Great Falls improved to 10-5 in Western AA play and 31-20 overall. Lethbridge fell to 5-7 in league play.
July 10, 2011
There was something dishearteningly familiar about the contest.
For Legion baseball fans watching Sunday afternoon’s game between the Great Falls Chargers and the Missoula Mavericks, it felt like déjà vu all over again.
Like Saturday’s contest, the Chargers spotted the Mavericks a big lead, battled all the way back, and ultimately came up a run short as Missoula held on for a 12-11 win at Centene Stadium in the fourth and final conference match-up between the two teams.
“We’ve lost so many one-run games against them, it’s unbelievable,” Chargers manager Aaron Johnson said. “It is what it is and we just have to move forward. We’re doing some good things. Our offense is starting to come around and we’re starting to hit the baseball so I’m happy about that. We just need to clean up our defense a little bit and I know that our pitchers are struggling right now, but they’re going to get that back pretty soon.”
With the win, Missoula (40-14, 6-4) takes the four-game conference series over Class AA Western Division-leading Great Falls (30-20, 9-5), three games to one. Great Falls took the conference opener 8-3 on June 16 while Missoula won 12-11 on Thursday and 17-14 on Saturday. The two teams also split a non-conference doubleheader in April.
“We’re just so evenly matched and the two teams are very competitive,” Missoula manager Brent Hathaway said. “It was never for sure. We feel fortunate to get this win in Great Falls.”
Missoula’s Ben Roberts, a seventh-round selection of the Arizona Diamondbacks in June’s Major League Baseball draft, made a game-saving sliding catch with the winning run on base in the bottom of the ninth inning. But the fact that the outcome was still in doubt was as remarkable as the center fielder’s game-ending catch.
The first eight Mavericks hitters reached base in the top of the first and Missoula led 8-0 before the Chargers came to the plate.
But starting pitcher Trevor Johnson settled down and allowed just three runs over the next five innings.
Meanwhile, the Chargers battled back, using a two-run single from Chad Barrett and a two-run triple from Hunter Carlyon to score seven runs in the second inning and cut Missoula’s lead to 8-7.
Great Falls tied the game in the third when A.J. Griffith’s double scored Tyler Stanich. Missoula used a two-run double from Tanner Reinschmidt and a sacrifice fly to reclaim the lead at 11-8 in the fourth, but Carlyon belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the frame and Griffith doubled and scored in the fifth to re-tie the contest at 11-11.
The Mavericks scored what was ultimately the game-winner in the seventh. Andrew Sopko walked, reached second on a passed ball, went to third on a groundout and scored on a groundout by Tres Cunningham.
Stanich and pinch-hitter Robbie Schwenck both reached to open the ninth. But a failed bunt and a strikeout brought up Trevor Johnson, who worked the count full before driving the ball to leftcenter, where Roberts ran it down on the warning track to end the game.
“It’s a good lesson – we need to put teams away,” Hathaway said. “(Saturday) we had an opportunity, when we put a five-spot up, and today. You really can’t put your finger on it. We came out hitting the ball today like I haven’t seen us hitting for quite a while. We put eight up, we decide that’s enough and all of a sudden we’re in a dogfight.”
Like Saturday, when Great Falls spotted Missoula a 5-0 lead in the first, Aaron Johnson bemoaned the fact that his team gave its opponent an early lead, but commended its heart in coming back.
“One of the things that this team is about is they have a never-quit attitude and I like that and respect that,” Johnson said. “We just want to see if we can maybe get a lead and go from there and see what happens. But yeah, these guys are battlers and I’m happy and proud to be their coach.”
Tyson Patterson took the loss for Great Falls, despite allowing only two hits and one unearned run. Brent Daugherty picked up the win for Missoula with 4 2/3 innings of seven-hit relief.
Carlyon finished with two hits, two runs scored and four driven in. Stanich finished 5-for-5 with two runs scored and Griffith had two doubles, scored twice and drove in two runs.
Brody Miller had three hits, scored twice and drove in three for Missoula, while Riley King had two hits and scored twice. Nathan Jewett finished with three hits and two runs scored while Sopoko had two hits and scored twice for Missoula.
“Missoula always swings the bat well and we’re finally starting to do it well,” Aaron Johnson said. “We have a good rivalry going on with the Mavericks right now and it’s fun to play those guys. They’re a well-coached team and a good organization and so are we. We just need to get up tomorrow morning and go to work.”
July 9, 2011
Missoula held on for a wild threerun victory over the Chargers after building an early 7-0 advantage.
Despite getting outhit 19-17, the Mavericks handed Great Falls its third straight defeat and gained a little ground in the Western AA American Legion standings. Missoula improved to 5-4 in league play, two games behind the league-leading Chargers (9-4), and 39-14 on the season.
Great Falls will take a 30-19 mark into today’s rematch, scheduled for a 1 p.m. start at Centene Stadium.
The pitching by both teams Saturday left a lot ot be desired, obviously. Seven hurlers combined to allow 36 hits, 12 for extra bases. Missoula stroked four doubles, three triples and one home run, while Great Falls smacked three doubles and a homer.
There was a total of 13 walks, seven by Mavericks pitching. And seven batters, four for Missoula, were hit by a pitch.
The outcome shouldn’t have come as a big surprise. After all, Missoula edged Great Falls 12-11 on its home field this past Thursday, and way back on April 16 in the Garden City, in their season-opening game, the Chargers outslugged the Mavericks 20-12.
“All day long we scratched and clawed trying to stay in the game. I’m proud of our guys for doing that,” Great Falls manager Aaron Johnson said. “We kept battling, but we couldn’t seem to catch them.”
The Chargers were on the verge of having several huge innings at the plate, he added, but “couldn’t catch a break” and couldn’t come closer than three runs.
“Give credit to Missoula. They’re a good club,” Johnson said.
The Mavs’ leadoff hitter, Ben Roberts, gave a glimpse of things to come in his first at-bat. The talented center fielder doubled off the left field wall on Tyson Patterson’s second pitch and scored when Brody Miller tripled to deep center.
Riley King followed with a single up the middle, plating Miller to give Missoula a quick 2-0 lead.
The Mavericks proceeded to load the bases, then got a two-run double to right center by Tanner Rheinschmidt. That hit forced Johnson to replace Patterson with Garrett Cornwell.
Cornwell walked Conner Anderson with the bases loaded, making it 5-0, before getting Miller, the 11th batter of the inning, to line to left fielder Tyler Stanich for the third out.
Great Falls rallied for four runs in its half of the third, cutting Missoula’s lead to 7-4. The key blow was a two-run double by Cayden Napierala off Rheinshcmidt, who had relieved starter Riley King. The Mavs proceeded to turn a double play, leaving Napierala on third base.
Missoula quickly regained a seven-run cushion in the top of the fourth. Tres Cunningham singled home Rheinschmidt and Roberts followed with a three-run home run over the right centerfield wall, boosting the Mavs’ lead to 11-4.
The Chargers tallied three runs in both the fourth and seventh innings, but still trailed 14-10.
An RBI-single by Roberts, followed by Miller’s two-run double, gave Missoula a 17-10 lead in the eighth.
Great Falls continued to battle, and added two runs in both the eighth and the ninth frames to keep things interesting. No. 9 hitter Spenser Hortick led off the eighth with a home run. Tyler Stanich followed with a single and scored on Spenser Hart’s double to left center.
The Chargers loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, chasing winning pitcher Michael Melugin. Stanich then singled off Shawn McArthur, driving home Napierala for the team’s 13th run. Hart’s sacrifice fly plated Hortick for the final run of the game.
Roberts was one of five Mavericks with two hits or more. He went 4-for-6 with four runs batted in and four runs scored.
King and Kleinschmidt had three hits each and Steve DeYoung chipped in two.
Seven Great Falls players had at least two hits, Napierala, Chad Barrett and Trevor Johnson collecting three apiece. Hortick, Hart, Stanich and Taylor Davis each had a pair of hits.
Every Charger scored at least one run.
“We need to go out tomorrow and get a lead,” Aaron Johnson said. “We have to put up a zero (defensively) in the first inning and go from there.”
Trevor Johnson will get the start on the mound for the Chargers.
July 7, 2011
MISSOULA — Tres Cunningham stroked a basesloaded walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday evening to boost the Missoula Mavericks to a 12-11 victory over the Great Falls Chargers in American Legion Western AA action at Lindborg- Cregg Field.
Cunningham’s game-winner came with one out off A.J.
Griffith. It was his only safety of the game, having hit a sacrifice fly earlier.
The Mavs took a early lead in the first inning, when Brody Miller blasted a tworun homer off Tyler Stanich. They added two more on an error and a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.
The Chargers answered loudly, outscoring Missoula 8-2 over the next two frames, the big hit being a two-run three-bagger off the bat of Chad Barrett in the third, and added three more runs in the fifth to go up 11-6 before the Mavs tied the score with four runs on one hit in the sixth.
Tyler Stanich worked the first five-plus innings and did not figure in the decision. Griffith came on in the bottom of the inning with none out.
Watson drove in four runs on three hits, including a two-bagger. Barrett drove in two runs with a single and a triple.
Brent Daugherty got the win in relief of Mavericks starter Andrew Sopko. Miller had four RBIs off one hit and a pair of sacrifice flies. Nathan Jewett drove in a Missoula run with three hits, while Ben Roberts had two singles and a double.
The Chargers dropped to 9-3 in Western AA play, still atop the pack in the conference. Missoula is now even at .500 (4-4), ½ game behind third-place Lethbridge.
June 29, 2011
KALISPELL — The Great Falls Chargers swept a Western AA doubleheader from the Kalispell Lakers on Wednesday night by scores of 11-5 and 9-4. The second game went 10 innings and didn’t end until about 11:30.
The Chargers of manager Aaron Johnson improved their division-leading record to 9-2. They are 28-14 overall heading into the 4th of July weekend.
The Chargers erupted for four runs in the fifth inning of the opener to take a 7-1 lead thanks to a two-run single by Spenser Hortick and a squeeze bunt from Tyler Stanich that plated two. Tanner Watson added a tworun single in the seventh to help make a winner out of Chargers starter Tyson Patterson, who allowed five runs – four earned – on six hits while fanning seven in six innings of work.
Watson finished the first game 2-for-5 with two RBIs while Hunger Carlyon had a pair of hits and scored twice. Cayden Napierala was 2-for-4 with a hits and a run scored while Hortick drove in three. Taylor Davis doubled and scored twice for Great Falls.
The Chargers scored five runs in the top of the 10th inning to break a 4-all tie to win the second game of the twin bill.
Starting pitcher Trevor Johnson allowed four runs in the first inning, then shut out Kalispell for the next eight innings as he scattered five hits to pick up the win. Johnson fanned 12 and walked two in nine innings of work while AJ Griffith pitched a perfect tenth to nail down the win.
Great Falls cut into the Lakers’ 4-0 lead with a pair of runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings. Napierala led off the fifth with a double and Hortick followed with a walk. Both runners scored on an RBI single by Tyler Stanich.
The Chargers tied the contest in the sixth as Hortick and Spenser Hart connected for RBI doubles. Great Falls took advantage of a pair of 10th-inning errors, RBI singles from Chad Barrett and Hortick, and a two-run double from Hart to move ahead.
Hortick finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs while Stanich was 2-for-5 with two RBIs in the nightcap. Hart had two doubles and drove in three runs.
June 25, 2011
LETHBRIDGE, Alberta — The Great Falls Chargers maintained first place in the American Legion Western AA Conference after sweeping a doubleheader with the Lethbridge Spitz Elks Saturday in the Canadian city.
The Chargers won the first game 15-9 before having to go eight innings in the nightcap for a 14-13 slugfest win.
The Elks dropped to 3-4 in the Western AA.
Great Falls improved to 7-2 in league play, 26-14 overall.
June 19, 2011
MISSOULA — Second baseman TJ Jacobs belted two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs Sunday afternoon as the Billings Royals took the championship of the Missoula Mavericks Memorial Tournament with an 11-6 victory over the Great Falls Chargers at Lindborg-Cregg Field.
Jacobs, batting ninth in the Royals’ order, brought the Royals within one in the third with a solo homer, then added four runs on one swing with two out in the fourth to blow the game wide open. He added a run-scoring single in the ninth.
Trevor Johnson worked the first seven innings for the Chargers, allowing 10 hits, three walks and six strikeouts. Kristian Allison gave up four hits, a walk and two earned runs while fanning one in the final two frames.
Braydon Bolotas got the win after six innings, striking out seven, allowing nine hits, a walk and an earned run. Eli Gunderson allowed a hit and two walks in the final three frames to earn the save.
June 16, 2011
MISSOULA — Tyler Stanich scattered nine hits over nine innings and Tanner Watson went 4-for-4 with three RBIs as the Great Falls Chargers (22-12, 5-2) defeated the Missoula Mavericks 8-3 Thursday night to earn a key Western AA conference victory. The game served as the opener of the Missoula Memorial tournament.
Stanich (4-1) allowed three earned runs while walking two and striking out six.
Watson sparkled offensively, collecting three singles and a double to lead Great Falls' 13-hit attack.
All but one Charger who batted provided at least one hit. Trevor Johnson, Taylor Davis and Chad Barrett, the No. 9 hitter, each had a pair of hits.
After both teams scored a run in the first inning, the Chargers took command with a three-run second. Dusty Popham and Chad Barrett had RBI singles, and Johnson drove in a run with the first of the team's three doubles.
Missoula scored twice in the fifth inning to pull within a run. But Great Falls answered with a single run in the seventh and three in the ninth.
In the seventh, Barrett led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice by Robbie Schwenck and scored on a single by Watson.
Spenser Hart led off the Chargers' half of the ninth with a double and, after Barrett reached on a fielder's choice, scored on a single by Schwenck. A double by Watson plated both Barrett and Schwenck to give Great Falls an 8-3 lead.
Stanich retired the Mavericks in order in the bottom of the ninth.
Brody Mller had three hits and Steve DeYoung two to lead Missoula, which fell to 2-1 in league play and 31-6 overall.
Andrew Sopko, one of the Mavericks' top pitchers, took the loss. He worked eight complete innings.
June 14, 2011
MEDICINE HAT, Alberta. — Robbie Schwenck had two hits and three RBIs and Tyler Stanich came in to put out the fire in the sevenh inning as the Great Falls Chargers defeated the Medicine Hat Monarchs 14-9 Tuesday night in the second game of a Western AA Legion baseball doubleheader.
The host Monarchs won the opener 8-5.
Great Falls pounded out 15 hits in the nightcap and took a 12-0 lead after scoring eight times in the top of the third. Dustin Popham went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Chargers. Cayden Napierala, Spenser Hortick and Stanich each had two hits as Great Falls pounded out 15 safeties.
But Medicine Hat didn’t go quietly. The Monarchs scored four times in the fifth and added three in the sixth. Stanich came on with two on and one out in the seventh and registered the save.
Garrett Cornwell picked up his fourth victory in as many decisions for the Chargers of manager Aaron Johnson. Great Falls improved to 4-2 in Western AA play and 21-12 overall.
In the first game, an impressive relief appearance by Spenser Hart went for naught in the Chargers' defeat. Hart spelled starter A.J. Griffith and threw four shutout innings. But Griffith was torched for four runs in each of the first two frames, and the Chargers stranded the bases loaded in their final at bat.
Levi Westerlund went the distance for the home side, striking out six Chargers including two in the seventh with sacks full. The last K went to Cayden Napierala, whose RBI triple an inning earlier made for an interesting finish.
Schwenck had a two-run double in the fifth to start the comeback attempt. Popham went 2-for-3 for the Chargers.
June 11, 2011
The Great Falls Chargers used a balanced offensive attack in the opener and strong pitching by Trevor Johnson in the second game to earn a sweep of the Glacier Twins in Western AA American Legion baseball action Saturday afternoon at Legion Park.
Seven players combined for nine hits and seven scored one run or more as Great Falls defeated Glacier 11-8 in the first game. The Chargers took an 11-2 lead with their second five-run frame, in the fourth, before Glacier rallied for five runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to pull within three. Reliever Kristian Allison held the Twins scoreless in the seventh to earn the team's first save of the season.
Johnson allowed just two hits, both singles, to help Great Falls defeat Glacier 3-0 in the nightcap. The righthander struck out eight batters and walked two in seven complete innings, boosting his record to 4-1.
The Chargers collected only four hits, but stole six bases — including home plate — and played flawless defense as they improved to 3-1 in conference play and 20-11 on the season. The team was coming off a conference-opening split with the Kalispell Lakers on Friday night at Centene Stadium.
After getting only five hits in the two games vs. Kalispell, Great Falls stroked nine in the opener against Glacier. Leadoff hitter Robbie Schwenck and Tyler Stanich, No. 9 in the order, each had a pair of singles. Schwenck scored three runs and Stanich and Dustin Popham both tallied a pair. The Nos. 1 through 4 hitters, Schwenck, Taylor Davis, Tanner Watson and Hunter Carlyon, had two RBIs apiece.
The Chargers drew 13 walks, nine off starter Cody Hill. The only Charger who didn't walk at least once was Trevor Johnson.
Great Falls sent 10 batters to the plate in the second inning of the first game, scoring five runs on three hits and four walks. After Schwenck singled home Popham, tying the game at 1-all, Watson plated Stanich with a bases-loaded walk to put the Chargers ahead to stay. Carlyon scored Schwenck with a sacrifice fly, Davis scored on a wild pitch, and Watson raced home when Johnson doubled to right center.
The key hit in Great Falls' five-run fourth was a two-run single by Davis that expanded the lead to 10-2. Two of the other runs came on bases-loaded walks, one by Hill and the other by reliever Chase Anderson.
Glacier's five-run rally in the fifth inning included a run-scoring single by Kyler Blades, his third RBI of the game, and a two-run triple by Chris King. Two of the Twins' runs scored on wild pitches by starter Tyson Patterson.
Allison relieved Patterson with two outs in the top of the sixth. He walked the first batter he faced, then uncorked a run-scoring wild pitch before getting Geoff Streeter to hit an inning-ending ground ball to third baseman Carlyon.
Patterson didn't have his best stuff, but managed to improve to 3-2 after allowing seven earned runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked five.
Johnson turned in a dominating pitching performance in the second game. He gave up a single to the second batter he faced, Jack Cronin, but didn't allow another hit until the fourth, when Blades singled with one out.
He retired the side in order in both the fifth and sixth innings, and in the seventh gave up a leadoff walk before setting down three straight Glacier batters to end the game.
"We got a good performance out of Trevor. It was awesome," said Aaron Johnson, Trevor's father. "He threw strikes, limited free passes and let the defense work behind him.
"He was throwing his fastball hard, and was able to throw the curve for strikes," the manager added. "That's a recipe for success. He did that all day long."
The Chargers took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Schwenck singled to right with two outs, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error and scored on a fielding miscue.
After leading off Great Falls' half of the fourth with a single, Carlyon stole home to give Great Falls a 2-0 lead.
The Chargers added an insurance run in the fifth. Chad Barrett walked, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and came home on a sacrifice fly by Watson.
The Chargers travel to Medicine Hat on Tuesday for a pair of league games against the Moose Monarchs. The first of two seven-inning games starts at 4 p.m.
Great Falls plays the Missoula Mavericks in a single nine-inning league game on Thursday night in Missoula, then will remain in the Garden City for the June 17-19 Missoula tournament.
The Chargers' next home game isn't until July 9, when Missoula visits Centene Stadium.
June 10, 2011
The Great Falls Chargers played error-free defense and got superb pitching by Tyler Stanich to pull out a 2-1 victory over the Kalispell Lakers in the team’sWestern AA conference opener early Friday night at Centene Stadium.
Stanich went the seven-inning distance, surrendering four hits while fanning five and giving up one base on balls.
Sidney Schenck, Kalispell’s opening-game starter, retired 12 straight batters after Rob Schwenck singled on his first pitch of the game. But he gave up three hits in the fifth inning, allowing Great Falls to tally their two runs and erase a 1-0 deficit.
Schenck allowed four hits in six complete innings of work, striking out three and walking one.
“It all starts with pitching. Both pitchers did a good job of keeping the hitters off balance,” Great Falls manager Aaron Johnson said of the first game. “Also, Hunter (Carlyon) made some huge plays in the seventh to help us stay on top.”
Joe Pistorese hurled Kalispell to a 6-0 victory in the second game of the doubleheader. The southpaw limited the Chargers to one hit while recording 13 strikeouts in the seven-inning contest.
“We played well, but offensively we have to get the sticks going,” Johnson added. “It’s a bit unusual for us to get only four hits. But credit Pistorese. He threw a good game.”
The southpaw from Flathead High was a Tribune Super-State selection last year. The talented all-around athlete also started for the Braves’ basketball team last winter “He was good. He pitches strikes,” Johnson said. “We have to tip our hat to him, but we're showing no confidence at the plate. I’m happy with our pitching and defense, but we’ve got to show up with a different attitude in the box. We’ve got to start attacking the baseball.
“When we put all three phases together, we’ll be a solid baseball team.”
A leadoff single by Cayden Napierala ignited Great Falls’ fifth-inning rally in the first game. After Spenser Hortick laid down a sacrifice bunt, advancing Napierala to second, Taylor Davis lashed a game-tying double to left.
Davis moved to third on a ground out by Spenser Hart, then scored the go-ahead run when No. 9 hitter Dustin Popham singled up the middle on a 2-1 pitch.
“We got a big leadoff hit and then executed the sacrifice bunt,” Johnson said. “Davis had a double down the line, and Popham followed with an RBI single. I’m happy for him, coming through like he did.”
Kalispell’s No. 9 hitter, Nate Bengston, led off Kalispell’s half of the sixth with a walk. After stealing second and taking third on a sacrifice bunt by Dillon Matteson, he was tagged out by catcher Davis in a suicide squeeze attempt. Stanich then got Kendrick Lee to pop out to end the inning.
“Tyler hit the spot up in the zone and fortunately the hitter (Lee) missed the bunt,” said Johnson of the squeeze attempt. “It was well executed on our part.
“We executed the whole game. For not being able to practice outside all week (because of the wet weather), we played great defense.” The Chargers’ effort included a pair of double plays.
Johnson couldn’t have been more pleased with the effort of Stanich, who improved to 3-1. “He did a great job. He hit his spots and kept the ball down in the zone,” he said. “He had great command of all of his pitches. He keeps getting better and better.”
Kalispell took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Sean O’Connell reached on an infield single with one out, advanced to second on a single by Cody Dopps, and scored when Dominic Eikert hit a bloop single to center.
The second game was scoreless until the fourth inning, when Kalispell erupted for three runs off Great Falls starter Tanner Watson. Leadoff hitter Michael O’Connell reached on a fielding error, and Pistorese and Dopps followed with back-to-back singles before Eikert plated O’Connell with a sacrifice fly. Eaves singled home Pistorese and Dopps made it 3-0 when he scored on a wild pitch.
In the fifth, the Lakers added three runs on three hits, including RBI singles by Pistorese and Dopps.
The Chargers threatened in their half of the second. Napierala led off with a single and Davis was hit by a pitch. Then, following a double steal, Pistorese struck out both Stanich and Chad Barrett to end the inning.
Great Falls also stranded a pair of runners in the sixth. Schwenck reached on a throwing error and Carlyon drew a walk.
The split left Kalispell at 2-2 in league play and 17-6 on the season.
June 4, 2011
What a difference a game makes!
The Chargers played like two different teams as they split a nonleague twinbill with the Billings Scarlets at Centene Stadium, losing 20-3 in the first game, but bouncing back for a 10-3 win in the nightcap and handing the Scarlets their first loss in 13 games.
The Chargers were coming off a split the day before at Bozeman.
The Chargers managed just six hits off Scarlets lefthander Clay Compton in game #1, including doubles by Trevor Johnson and Spenser Hart. Black's grand slam accounted for four of his five runs driven in.
But between games, the Chargers decided to get down to business.
Great Falls hit the scoreboard for seven runs in the second and third innings, taking advantage of four errors in the second inning alone, and then held the Scarlets to single runs in the fifth, sixth and the seventh.
"We had to bounce back," Tyler Stanich, the winning pitcher in game two, said. "I knew my defense would back me up, so all I had to do was throw strikes."
"Tyler threw a heckuva game," Johnson agreed. "We really need to play like that more consistently.
"We played pretty decent in Bozeman; we hit the ball hard, but they were always right at someone in the second game. This is baseball. You can't win them all."
Tanner Watson drove in a pair of runs with a single and a double in game #2, while Cayden Napierala had a pair of safties.
June 3, 2011
BOZEMAN — Tanner Watson pitched a complete game and Hunter Carlyon went 3for-3 as the Great Falls Chargers extended their winning streak to seven with a 6-3 victory over the Bozeman Bucks Friday night.
But Bozeman’s Alex Bradford pitched a five-hitter and did not allow an earned run as the Bucks ended the Chargers’ win string with a 6-2 triumph in the nightcap of the Class AA nonleague Legion doubleheader.
In the first game, Carlyon had two doubles and knocked in two runs for Great Falls. The Chargers broke a tie with three runs in the seventh, a rally that included hits by Watson, Carlyon and Taylor Davis. Watson went 2-for-4 in the game. The southpaw also pitched well, striking out five and yielding just two earned runs.
Bozeman, 6-9-1 overall this spring, jumped on the Chargers for six runs in the bottom of the first inning in the second game. The Bucks tagged Great Falls starter Kristian Allison for six hits in the first frame, including RBI singles by Cullin Cameron, Conner Linebarger, Matt Hape and Nate Lamberty. Anderson Barkow had a run-scoring double.
Cayden Napierala had two of the five Great Falls hits in the nightcap.
