Electrics State Championship News
Laurel tips Electrics for State crown
August 2, 2010
BILLINGS — It took extra innings, but the defending state champion Laurel Dodgers finally put a cap on the Great Falls Electrics season.
The Electrics fell 11-10 to the Dodgers in the 10th inning of the state championship game at the Montana-Alberta State Legion A baseball tournament Monday at Dehler Park.
The Electrics' one-run loss matched the Great Falls Chargers, who fell 4-3 to the Missoula Maveriucks last Wednesday in the AA title matchup.
With the loss, the season is over for the Electrics (60-16), while Laurel (57-9-1) heads to the Northwest A Regional tournament in Bozeman this weekend.
Laurel slipped past the Bitterroot Red Sox 5-4 earlier in the day to push their way into the title game against the Electrics.
The Electrics held an early lead in the game, putting Laurel in a 9-4 hole going into the bottom of the seventh. But the state champs battled back.
Great Falls' starter Tyson Patterson, pitching on only three days rest, left the game after seven innings. The move to the pen seemed to rejuvenate the Dodgers, who rallied to score five runs in the eighth and tie the score with only one inning to play.
With the score still knotted at 9-9 after regulation, the Electrics led off the 10th inning with a regional tourney spot within their grasp.
In the top of the 10th, the Electrics put the leadoff man on when Taylor Davis walked. Cayden Napierala followed with a double deep to left center, scoring Davis to give the Electrics the lead.
Laurel responded in their half of the inning, when Zach Cortese singled up the middle, scoring a run to tie the game. It was one of his four RBIs on the day.
With the bases loaded, Cook retired a batter for the first out. Then, with the corners in and the middle infielders back in hopes of a ground ball, Derek Simmons hit a light grounder up the middle. The runner from first was forced at second, but the relay to first was wide, allowing the winning run to score.
The loss ended the deepest run ever by a Great Falls team at the Legion A state tourney. The Electrics, who develop talent for the Chargers AA team, were looking to become the first feeder team to win the State A title in 15 years.
"I cannot say enough about our young kids and how they stood toe-to-toe with the defending state champs," Napierala said. "Laurel is for real."
Spenser Hortick led the way for Great Falls on offense, collecting four hits with a double and an RBI. Chad Barrett added a two-run home run in the fifth inning.
With a 60-win season now in the books, Napierala said the group could make an impact next year as well, whether with the Electrics or the Chargers.
"They're the best kids I've coached in a long time," he said. There's a bright future for the Legion programs in Great Falls."
Electrics play for championship Monday
August 1, 2010
BILLINGS — Despite a 14-4 loss to the Bitterroot Red Sox on Sunday in the Montana-Alberta State A tournament, the Great Falls Electrics remain very much alive for the title.
The loss to Bitterroot, their first in four tournament starts, didn't eliminate the Electrics (60-15) from the double-elimination event. Instead it leaves them waiting for the championship game today at 4 p.m., due to the tournament having three one-loss teams still remaining.
The other two teams, Bitterroot and the Laurel Dodgers, will square off at noon for a chance to meet Great Falls in the tourney finale. Laurel crushed Livingston 10-0 in the early game Sunday to keep its title hopes afloat.
On Sunday, the Red Sox snapped the Electrics' eight-game tournament winning streak. Electrics' manager Chris Napierala said he thinks winning so many games against quality opponents led to a letdown in their most recent game.
"I don't think they were as focused as they needed to be," he said.
Because Napierala's top arms had been exhausted in the first few games of tournament play, the manager handed the ball to Scott Held, who was relatively unproven as a pitcher on the season. Held kept his squad in it, tossing four solid innings but gave up six runs. He left with his team within striking distance, though.
Down 6-4 with Held showing signs of fatigue, Napierala opted for the bullpen, "and the wheels kind of came off," the manager said.
Bitterroot starter Jake Lindquist picked up the win, working a complete game, while Held was tagged with the loss.
Cayden Napierala went 3-for-4 at the plate for Great Falls, driving in three runs and Taylor Davis added two hits, both doubles.
But the Red Sox got multiple hits from four players including Taylor Allen, who had a double and 3 RBIs, and outhit a normally potent Electrics offense.
Napierala said the loss could actually work in his team's favor. He hopes they'll rally in the face of adversity and come back with a heightened intensity.
"We would like to have won, but (the loss) might be advantageous to us," he said. "The kids will bounce back...it's the state championship. We'll be ready to go."
Electrics best Braves
July 31, 2010
BILLINGS — The Great Falls Electrics and Livingston Braves don't meet very often on the baseball diamond, but when they do, the American Legion Class A ballclubs put plenty of runs on the scoreboard.
Fortunately for the Electrics, they scored often Saturday afternoon and hung on for a 15-13 victory in the semifinals of the Montana-Alberta State A tourney at Dehler Park.
It was the third meeting between Great Falls and Livingston this season, and the teams have combined for 89 runs in those outings.
Manager Chris Napierala's Electrics, now 60-14 on the season, will face the Bitterroot Red Sox at 4 this afternoon, after Laurel plays Livingston at noon. The Electrics, which have mostly 16-year-olds on the roster, are a farm club of the AA Chargers and are the only feeder program left in the tourney.
"We've had a couple of battles with Livingston, and it's always been the same," said Napierala. "Whoever scores in the last at-bat wins, it seems."
Not this time.
After the Volts plated five runs in the top of the ninth, Livingston scored twice in its half before young right-hander Dalton Cook struck out the final batter to earn the save.
"We put in Dalton Cook to shut the door," said the manager. "He struck out their stud to end it. Great job by a 15-year-old."
The Electrics had taken a 15-11 lead in the ninth as Taylor Davis, Cayden Napierala, Scott Held and Destin Wassmann each had base hits, and Spenser Hortick delivered a sacrifice fly.
Cayden Napierala, son of the manager, went 4-for-6 with three RBIs to lead an 18-hit attack. Robbie Schwenk also had four hits including a pair of doubles, and Destin Wassmann added a double and two singles. Schwenk, Wassmann and Chad Barrett each knocked in two runs.
Matt Smith had a triple and two singles for Livingston (45-20).
The manager said his batters were used to facing tough pitchers during the season.
"It helped us out to see great pitching in the Northern Division. The Canadian teams, Tri-County and Havre have older kids who can throw. We haven't seen Bitterroot yet, but they're pretty athletic and have kids that can flat run."
Electrics win against Mariners
The Jays downed the Gallatin Valley Outlaws 15-8 in a loser-out contest, while the Bitterroot Red Sox stayed alive with a 9-3 win over the Lethbridge Miners.
Electrics notch win against Blue Jays
July 29, 2010
BILLINGS — Dalton Cook got the final batter to pop out with the tying run at second in the ninth inning to preserve the Great Falls Electrics' 6-5 victory over the host Billings Blue Jays as the State Class A American Legion Baseball tournament opened Thursday at Dehler Park.
Joseph Zimmer doubled with two outs in the bottom of the ninth off Electrics' starter Tanner Lee. Coach Chris Napierala brought in Cook to get Chance Ackerman to pop out to shortstop for the Electrics' 58th win against 14 losses.
"Cook got the last out against a pretty good hitter," Electrics coach Chris Napierala said. "It's nice to know that although you didn't play your best ball, you can still walk away with a win."
The Volts scored five times in the second. A throwing error and bases-loaded walk led to two runs, an RBI single by Destin Wassmann and a 2-run single from Scott Held accounted for the Great Falls tallies.
The Blue Jays scored three in the third, but the Electrics got an insurance run in the fifth. With two out, Spencer Hortick walked and scored on Chad Barrett's triple.
The Blue Jays added two in the eighth before watching their own two-out rally go by the wayside.
Lee got the win in 8 2/3 innings and 120 pitches, allowing nine hits and one walk while striking out three.
"We didn't play as well as we could have," Napierala added. "We were a little behind schedule-wise, and some of the kids were a little nervous.
"But they did what they could to win."
The early evening contest saw the Mission Valley Mariners cruise to a 10-1 lead after two innings and cruise to an 18-6 trouncing of the Gallatin Valley Outlaws.
Justin Evertz went the distance for the Mariners, allowing just nine hits and getting the support of his offense to the tune of 19 hits.
Kyle Bagnell led the Mission Valley offense, going 3-for-3 with a double and 3 RBI. Tyler Linse also had three hits, missing the cycle by a homer, and drove in two. Tim Rausch added two hits and 3 RBI.
The Electrics and Mariners meet in the quarterfinals this evening at 6:30 p.m., while the Blue Jays meet the Outlaws at noon in an elimination game.
