Mariners grab pair of wins; Loggers fall in extras

LIBBY — A late rally and a two-hit gem helped the Mission Valley Mariners to a pair of wins Friday at the Big Bucks Tournament, in the nightcap the Bitterroot Bucs put up a six-spot in the 11th inning to take a 9-3 win over Libby 

Aiden Gfroerer drove in the eventual game-winning run on a seventh inning double to left field as the Mariners (10-10) scored four runs in the frame to take a 6-5 victory over the Moscow Blue Devils. 

In Mission Valley’s second game, Cole Wadsworth threw five no-hit innings and Landon Shoemake allowed just two hits in relief for a 6-1 win over the Mt. Spokane Wild. 

Mission Valley 6, Moscow 5 

A Moscow sacrifice fly plated the lone run of the first three innings, before the teams found their stride in the 10 a.m. game.  

The Mariners tied it up in the fourth as Cody Haggard came home on a wild pitch. 

An error and an RBI groundout restored the Moscow (6-13) lead to 3-1 in the bottom half of the inning. 

Mission Valley capitalized on errors to cut the deficit in the sixth and then take the lead in the seventh, as Paxton DuMont reached after an error on his grounder to short and brought in Holden Emerson to make it 4-3. Next up was Gfroerer to extend the lead with his double. 

A two-run single from the Blue Devils cut the lead to 6-5 in the bottom of the seventh, but Cash Atkinson forced Kolby Hawley into a 5-4-3 double play to end the game. 

Atkinson came in to relieve starter Cole Wadsworth, who went 6 1-3 innings. He allowed two hits and five runs — just one earned — while striking out one. 

Mission Valley 6, Mt. Spokane 1 

Wadsworth went 2-for-4 and drove in a run while scoring twice as the Mariners downed the Wild, but his pitching was the story. 

Five no-hit innings and nine strikeouts powered Mission Valley to victory, while Landon Shoemake cleaned up in the final two frames. Shoemake allowed a pair of hits and just one run while fanning two. 

Angelo Olson was dealing for Mt. Spokane (10-3) as well, going five innings and allowing two runs on six hits.  

Neither team scored until Mission Valley broke the ice in the fifth on a Shoemake triple to center that brought in Wadsworth. Haggard brought Shoemake in two batters later on a double to left to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead. 

A balk brought in the lone run for the Wild in the top of the sixth and was quickly answered with a four-run frame from Mission Valley. Wadsworth singled to left and scored Gfroerer before two hit batsmen and a walk brought in three more runs. 

Bitterroot 9, Libby 3, 11 innings

Both teams squandered bases loaded situations in extra innings as a grounded out in the top of the ninth for the Bucs and a strikeout for Libby in the 10th ended the threats. 

Bitterroot (4-9) finally broke the deadlock in the top of the 11th with three bases-loaded walks giving the Bucs a 6-3 lead. A two-run single from Cole Germane brought home two and by the end of the inning Bitterroot led 9-3. 

Libby (9-19) tried to answer in the bottom of the 11th putting two runners on with one out, but a flyout and a strikeout ended the game. 

Joey Wheeler’s single in the top of the seventh sent the game to extras as Bitterroot tied the game at three. 

Aiden Rose went 8 2-3 innings for the Loggers, allowing eight hits and three runs. He struck out five batters. 

Isaiah Testerman threw seven innings for the Bucs and Wheeler added three frames in relief. 

Bransen Holzer led the loggers at the plate, going 3-for-5 with one RBI and crossing the plate once.