Thursday, August 10, 2017
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Monday, August 7, 2017
Twins tops in Northwest
Robinson delivers walkoff single as L-C rallies for 2 runs in ninth to beat Missoula 6-5
MISSOULA, Mont. - Back in the day, the Lewis-Clark Twins once tallied four regional titles in a 14-year span.
It's hard to imagine any of them were more satisfying than the one they captured Sunday.
Danny Robinson laced a walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning, capping the Twins' improbable march through the losers' bracket to beat the Missoula Mavericks 6-5 in the championship game of the Northwest Regional Legion baseball tournament.
The Twins recorded five consecutive wins - the centerpiece being a 15-inning wonder Saturday night - after dropping their Regionals opener to the Yakima Pepsi Pak, a loss they avenged Sunday with a 8-5 triumph that vaulted them into the title game.
"Regionals has been nothing short of incredible," first-year Twins coach Kevin Maruer said. "To lose that first game and to go through the losers' bracket and play 33 innings in 15 hours - to be able to do that as a team - just shows the character and the heart of our guys."
Lewis-Clark (39-11) thus landed a berth in the Legion World Series at Shelby, N.C, where they face the Mid-South champion at 1:30 p.m. PDT on Thursday.
AJ Davis of the Twins was named Most Valuable Player of the regional tournament after fueling the win over Yakima with his second straight four-hit performance. Jaden Phillips opened the scoring in the championship game with a solo home run in the second inning.
Still, the Twins trailed 5-4 heading into the ninth inning, when they wasted no time launching the decisive rally. Alex Light singled, advanced on a bunt by Davis and scored on a double by Luke White.
The Mavericks (54-27) then intentionally walked Phillips, to no avail, as Chase Adkison promptly stroked his third single of the game and Robinson hit the game-winner to left field. It was the first hit of the game for Robinson, brother of Lewis-Clark State slugger J.J. Robinson.
The ninth-inning surge had been preceded by a Lewis-Clark double play in the top of the inning.
"Once that turn happened, I'd never seen a more confident team come into the dugout," Maurer said. "They felt no pressure in that moment. I liked the look on our guys' faces, that they knew they could win that game."
It's the sixth regional crown for the Twins, who bagged four of them under revered coach Dwight Church between 1964 and 1977. Tom Grunenfelder coached the Twins to another title in 2001, when they proceeded to place second in the World Series.
What followed was a 16-year drought in Northwest titles until Sunday, when Maurer won a championship in his first year as head coach. The Genesee High coach had been a Twins assistant for two summers before being promoted.
The Twins' back-to-back wins Sunday - the second coming against a Missoula team seeing its first action of the day - came after a grueling battle with that same Mavericks club Saturday night, decided on Ryder Shoults' run-scoring single in the top of the 15th inning as the host team suffered its first loss of the tourney.
The Twins may have betrayed a touch of fatigue in the fifth inning of the championship game as the Mavericks notched a run on a wild pitch and another on an error to take a 3-2 lead.
But the Twins apparently rose above whatever fatigue they were feeling.
"It was truly hard to get to the point where we were - to make it to Sunday," Maurer said. "We just said, 'We got to this point, fellas. You can't leave anything to chance. You've got to play with every ounce of passion you have.' I thought our energy level was great."
The Twins knotted the score in their half of the inning on singles by Jackson Fuller and Olson and a sacrifice fly by Riley Way, who had returned to action that game after missing the Yakima contest. He had suffered a facial injury fielding a grounder the previous night.
Spencer Schock hit a two-run double as the Mavs went back up 5-3 in the eighth, but L-C's Kolt Olson scaled the outfield wall to deny Missoula what probably would have been another two-run double.
The Twins then cut the margin in half in the bottom of the inning on singles by Adkison and Fuller.
Earlier, Schock hit an RBI single as Missoula tied the score 1-1 in the second, and the Twins restored the small lead in the third on a double by Olson followed by a walk and Light's RBI single.
Against Yakima, Wyatt Baldwin gave up nine hits and walked four in 81/3 innings, but he threw six shutout frames, including the sixth through the ninth, the last of these with relief from White.
The Twins tallied three runs in the first inning, getting an RBI single from Alex Light and capitalizing on a wild pitch on a third strike to produce the third run.
Light and Phillips added RBI singles in a three-run fourth, and Chris Powell doubled to spark a two-run fifth. The two teams went scoreless the final four innings.
Xander Orejudos homered and double for the Pepsi Pak.
Davis finished that game with four hits, just as he had done the previous night in the 15-inning marathon.
Yakima 030 110 000-5 9 3
Lewis-Clark 300 320 00x-8 12 1
Quincy, Bailey (5) and Towsley. White, Baldwin (1) and Adkison.
Yakima hits - Helgeson, Archer, Orejudos 3 (2B, HR), Dietrich, Towsley, Belton.
Lewis-Clark hits - Light 2, Davis 4, Phillips, Adkison, Robinson, Powell (2B), Shoults, Olson.
---
Missoula 001 020 020-5 13 1
Lewis-Clark 011 001 012-6 16 2
McHugh and Schock. Davis, Robinson (8) and Fuller.
Missoula hits - Martin, Schock 4 (2B), Leonard 2, McHugh, Buchanan 2 (2B), Richardson 2.
Lewis-Clark hits - Light 2, Davis, White 2 (2B), Phillips 2 (HR), Adkison 3, Robinson, Fuller 2. Olson 3 (2B).
Sunday, August 6, 2017
2017 LC Twins are headed to the World Series
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| The GRINDERS take Missoula 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th |
TWINS WIN IN 15, MAKE TITLE ROUND
Shoults' RBI double is difference as L-C wins 3rd straight loser-out game at Regionals
MISSOULA, Mont. - The Lewis-Clark Twins had already made a long journey through the losers' bracket.
It got a whole lot longer Saturday night. But they're exactly where they want to be - in the title round of Regionals.
Ryder Shoults, who had entered the game as an injury replacement, laced an RBI double in top of the the 15th inning to decide a wild game rife with great escapes by the Twins as the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley team outlasted Missoula 6-5 in the Northwest Regional Legion baseball tournament.
"This was one of the crazier games I've ever been a part of," Twins coach Kevin Maurer said. "Lots of ups and downs, but nothing but heart by our guys."
The Twins (38-11) claimed their third straight losers' bracket victory and now face the team that vanquished them in the first round, Washington champion Yakima. That game starts at noon PDT today and the winner then plays Missoula for the championship at 3 p.m. PDT.
Missoula, the host team, had been undefeated in the tournament until losing to the Twins, who escaped three bases-loaded jams in extra innings, one of them with no outs.
In the 15th, Kolt Olson beat out a bouncer over the pitcher's head, then dashed to second base when the throw was errant. He scored on Shoults' double as the Twins drew two wins away from their first regional title and World Series berth since 2001.
Shoults had entered the game earlier to replace Riley Way, who sustained a facial injury fielding a grounder and is questionable for today's action.
Chase Adkison pitched eight innings in relief for the Twins in a game that, despite its length, saw only four players take the mound for the two teams. The Twins' starter was Julian Washburn.
Adkison struck out eight and wriggled out of bases-loaded situations in the 10th, 11th and 12th innings.
"Not too many guys can handle the kind of pressure he was put in time and time again," Maurer said, "but it also showed the character of our team to get through those situations. You don't see many teams maintain their belief that they can come out of it like our guys did."
The Twins trailed 4-3 in the eighth before Jaden Phillips singled, advanced on a bunt and a passed ball and scored on Jackson Fuller's single on a 0-2 count. In the previous at-bat, the Missoula second baseman made a diving catch of a line drive by Danny Robinson.
AJ Davis tallied four hits for the Twins, and Fuller finished with three.
Lewis-Clark 100 002 010 010 001-6 18 4
Missoula 001 102 000 010 000-5 16 2
Julian Washburn, Chase Adkison (8) and Jackson Fuller. Drew Leonard, Andy Brooks (8) and Schock.
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Twins leave no doubt, keep hopes alive
L-C uses blend of pitching, hitting and extra-base pop to beat Cheyenne at Regionals
MISSOULA, Mont. - This time, the Lewis-Clark Twins put it all together.
Cooper Lund pitched six innings of two-hit ball in relief and the Twins racked up 15 hits Friday in a 9-3 win over Cheyenne, Wyo., in a loser-out game of the Northwest Regional Legion baseball tournament.
Luke White smacked a two-run home run and also doubled for the Twins (37-11) while Danny Robinson hit an RBI triple and a run-scoring double.
But the spark may have come in the fourth inning, when AJ Davis walked and set the stage for Jaden Philllips, whose triple opened the game's scoring and ignited the Twins' offense.
Lewis-Clark now faces host Missoula at 6 PDT tonight, with the winner advancing to the title round. Missoula advanced Friday night with a 10-4 win over Honolulu.
The Twins didn't need to rely specifically on pitching or defense or crunch-time heroics, as they've done repeatedly in their best postseason run in years. They did just about everything well as they won their second straight loser-out game after opening the tourney with a loss.
"It was one of those total-team-effort games," Twins coach Kevin Maurer said. "We get our first win of the tournament yesterday (against Juneau, Alaska) - we just needed to get that one out of the way to get back to the team we are and get our confidece level up to where it's been."
Lund took the mound in the third inning, after brief stints by Davis and Nate Savolainen, and Cheyenne didn't get on the scoreboard until tallying a run in the sixth. Lund struck out two and walked five while pitching the final six innings.
"With Cooper able to compete on the mound the way he did - his pitch count was high, but when he needed to make that pitch, he was able to do it," Maurer said. "And our defense was flat-out amazing today."
The Twins also stole five bases, after uncharacteristically going the first two games of the tourney with nary a stolen base.
Lewis-Clark, which won the Idaho state title for the first time in eight years, outhit the Wyoming champion 15-5 and led 9-1 before Cheyenne scored twice in the ninth, getting a solo homer from Sean Carson.
The Twins did take a while to get going. The score was 0-0 before they got untracked in the fourth and fifth innings - opening with a walk and a stolen base in each case.
Jaden Phillips laced an RBI triple preceding Robinson's big double in the fourth, and Alex Light lent a spark with a run-scoring single in the fifth. Davis followed with single to plate a run and White then bashed his homer.
White added a double in the seventh and scored on a Phillips single.
Light and Riley Way finished with three hits apiece, while White, Phillips and Robinson drove in two runs each.
The losing pitcher was Connor Redman, who allowed eight hits in 41/3 innings.
Cheyenne 000 001 002-3 5 2
Lewis-Clark 000 240 21x-9 15 1
Davis, Savolainen (3), Lund (4) and Adkison. Inniss, Andren (2), Redman (4), Monaco (8) and Inniss.
Cheyenne hits - Inniss, Andren, Anderson 2, Carson (HR), Prince.
Lewis-Clark hits - Way 3, Light 3, White 2 (HR, 2B), Philllips 2 (3B), Adkison, Robinson 2 (2B, 3B), Olson
Friday, August 4, 2017
8/4/2017 2017 Cheyenne, WY vs Lewiston, ID Game 10
8/4/2017 2017 Cheyenne, WY vs Lewiston, ID Game 10
Lewis-Clark Twins escape jams, beat Juneau at Regionals
MISSOULA, Mont. - The Lewis-Clark Twins notched a win at Legion Regionals in a characteristic way - with defense.
The Juneau Midnight Suns of Alaska put at least one runner on base in every inning Thursday, but the Twins used resourceful fielding to craft a 3-1 loser-out victory on the second day of the Northwest Regional baseball tournament.
The Twins (36-11) play at 3 p.m. PDT today in another loser-out affair.
Lewis-Clark starter Kyle Van Boeyen allowed only five hits in seven innings, but he also walked five and found himself repeatedly in touchy situations.
But the Twins turned three double plays, and Van Boeyen used a strikeout and a fly-out to cleanly escape a jam in the sixth inning, which had opened with a single, a bunt and another single.
The Twins led from the second inning, when Chase Adkison and Chris Powell rapped consecutive singles and scored on an error and a sacrifice fly by Jackson Fuller.
Lewis-Clark added a run in the sixth thanks to two errors and a sac fly by Luke White.
AJ Davis and Jaden Phillips tallied two hits apiece for the Twins.
The Midnight Suns (27-5) scored their only run in the sixth, with Bobby Cox singling to capitalize on a walk and a balk.
It was a hard-luck loss for Suns pitcher Donavin McCurley, who scattered eight hits and walked one in eight innings. Striking out none but throwing only 89 pitches, McCurley fashioned what's considered to be one of the best postseason performances ever by an Alaska Legion pitcher.
The Alaska champion was seeking its first Regional win since 2009.
Juneau 000 001 000-1 6 3
Lewis-Clark 020 001 00x-3 8 1
Van Boeyen, Savolainen (8) and Fuller. McCurley and Muira.
Lewis-Clark hits - Way, Light, Davis 2, Philllips 2, Adkison, Powell.
Juneau hits - Watts, Cox 2, Mallinger, Muira, Mendoza.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Twins lose in opener, but go down fighting
L-C rallies from 10 runs down, but ultimately falls to Yakima 13-11 in Northwest regional opener
MISSOULA, Mont. - The Lewis-Clark Twins lost their opening game in the American Legion Northwest regional tournament Wednesday, but the other seven teams in the field probably aren't counting out the Lewiston club.
The Twins pieced together a huge rally over the last four innings, erasing most of a 10-run deficit and bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth.
But Yakima Pepsi Pak was able to just barely hold off the charging Twins and claim a 13-11 morning victory.
L-C (35-11) will try to keep its season alive at 8:30 a.m. PDT today against Juneau Post 25 of Alaska. And even though the Twins are coming off a loss, they have some momentum.
L-C entered the bottom of the sixth trailing 11-1 and got its rally started with four runs. Chase Adkison and Chris Powell slapped run-scoring singles, and Riley Way drove in two with a single.
Before the Twins' at-bat in the sixth, "it was kind of the first moment where I may have thought they felt a little defeated this year," coach Kevin Maurer said.
"I told them this isn't about the game any more. In life you're going to get challenged and get knocked down, but you never give up. Life, we're blessed to live it, and we need to take advantage of every moment. And they did that.
"From the sixth on, we really took control of that game," Maurer added. "Offense and pitching. We were finally able to get things going."
The Twins kept chipping away with one run in the seventh and two in the eighth to make it 11-8. Even when Yakima scored two in the top of the ninth to go back up by five runs, L-C didn't stop pushing.
Chris Powell doubled to lead off the ninth, then Kolt Olson singled to put runners on the corners. Way then delivered a two-run double.
After an out and an AJ Davis single again put two runners on, Luke White came up to bat. The cleanup hitter had three would-be homers drift foul earlier in the game, and the players and coaches in the Twins' dugout anticipated a big blow in this at-bat, Maurer said.
But White flew out, which did score Way from third. The next batter, Jaden Phillips, smacked a ball into the gap, but Yakima's left fielder chased it down to record the game's final out.
L-C must now win five consecutive games over four days to claim the regional title. Maurer isn't counting out his team.
"The loser's bracket is not going to phases us. Like I said, we responded to a challenge, and that's kind of how we're built. It's going to be a tough road, and we've got some tough players."
Powell finished with four hits and two RBI while White and Chase Adkison added two hits and two RBI apiece. Way plated four runs with his two hits.
Yakima leadoff man Bryce Helgeson went 5-for-6 with a three-run homer in the third.
Yakima Pepsi Pak 153 011 002-13 19 2
Lewis-Clark Twins 000 104 123-11 19 4
Orejudos, Quincy (7) and Moen. Baldwin, White (2), Robinson (5) and Adkison.
Yakima hits - Helgeson 5 (HR), Archer, Vandebrake 4 (2B), Orejudos 3, Dietrich, Towsley (2B), Bailey, Moen, Belton 2.
Twins hits - Way 2 (2B), Light 3, Davis 2, White 2, Phillips, Adkison 2, Robinson, Powell 4 (2B), Olson 2.
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