Jul. 11—Keep the lights on.
The Kalispell AA Lakers rode Luke Nikunen’s tie-breaking, two-run double to a 6-4 win over the Billings Royals Thursday night, but dropped the other two sun-drenched games of the series.
The Royals won 8-1 Thursday afternoon, the first game of a doubleheader at Griffin Field; on Friday Billings prevailed again, 7-3, in a game that began at 9 a.m.
Thursday
Lakers 6, Royals 4
Nikunen’s big hit came after Ostyn Brennan doubled to lead off the inning, and Hunter Fann reached via bunt.
Brennan, who came on to pitch in the fifth inning, then worked around two walks in the Royals’ seventh. The game ended when Ryder Murdock was out trying to steal third; Nikunen made the tag on a throw from Brady Buckmaster.
The Lakers took leads of 2-0 and 4-2 only to see the Royals erase both deficits. Nikunen singled and eventually scored on Andre Cephers’ sacrifice fly in the second inning, and Oscar Kallis drove in a run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third.
In the fourth inning Brennan hit an RBI single and Nikunen drew a bases-loaded walk for a 4-2 lead.
The Lakers left the bases loaded that inning, and Billings caught up in the fifth when Paxton Fitch hit an RBI triple, then came in on a balk.
Kyler Croft started on the mound for Kalispell and went four innings, allowing two hits and five walks. Brennan allowed just one hit but three walks in his three innings; he fanned five.
Royals 000 220 0 — 4 3 2
Lakers 011 202 x — 6 6 0
Severen Cellan, Connor Smith (6) and Anthony Williams. Kyler Croft, Ostyn Brennan (5) and Brennan, Brady Buckmaster (5).
BILLINGS ROYALS — Chaise Tracy 1-3, Camden Wilson 0-3, Paxton Fitch 1-2, CJ Jenkins-Antle 0-2, Williams 0-2, Smith 1-2, Kooper Beard 0-2, Brady Baker 0-2, Ryder Murdock 0-2.
KALISPELL AA LAKERS — Brennan 2-3, Hunter Fann 1-3, Schlegel 0-3, Luke Nikunen 2-2, Kaeden Kahler 0-3, Oscar Kallis 1-3, Andre Cephers 0-2, Teagan Dixon 0-1, Buckmaster 0-1, Cale Brink 0-2.
2B — Smith, Brennan, Nikunen. 3B — Fitch. RBIs — Smith 2, Fitch, Nikunen 3, Kallis, Cephers, Brennan.
Royals 8, Lakers 1
The Royals got the big hits while the Lakers left 11 men on base in the series opener.
Kooper Beard homered and drove in three runs to back the solid pitching of Royals starter Cooper Ballew, who allowed six hits, five walks and one run in six innings of work. He fanned one.
The Lakers had some chances, loading the bases with two outs in the third inning. A fielder’s choice ended that threat.
In the fourth, after Oscar Kallis doubled and scored on Brady Buckmaster’s sacrifice fly; singles by Andre Cephers and Cale Brink and a walk to Ostyn Brennan packed the bases again. The Lakers then bounced into a double play.
Connor Smith had three hits for the Royals, including a triple ahead of Beard’s fourth-inning home run; he and Beard had RBI singles in the seventh inning. Smith also pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
Kallis had two doubles, and Brennan hit one. Carter Schlegel pitched into the seventh before Croft came in with two on and none out. Schlegel allowed nine hits, one walk and six earned runs. He struck out three.
Royals 100 220 3 — 8 11 0
AA Lakers 000 100 0 — 1 7 4
Cooper Ballew, Connor Smith (7) and Anthony Williams. Carter Schlegel, Kyler Croft (7) and Brady Buckmaster.
BILLINGS ROYALS — Tracy 0-4, Wilson 1-3, Fitch 2-4, Jenkins-Antle 1-2, Williams 0-4, Smith 3-4, Beard 2-4, Baker 1-4, Murdock 1-3.
KALISPELL AA LAKERS — Brennan 1-2, Fann 0-3, Schlegel 0-3, Croft 0-1, Nikunen 1-3, Kahler 0-4, Kallis 2-2, Cephers 1-3, Buckmaster 0-1, Brink 2-2.
2B — Murdock, Kallis 2, Brennan. 3B — Smith. HR — Beard. RBIs — Beard 3, Smith 2, Jenkins 2, Buckmaster.
Friday
Royals 7, Lakers 3
Smith, Beard and Murdock had two hits apiece for Billings in this one, and the Royals rode some defensive miscues and 10 strikeouts from pitcher Nick Martin to the win.
The Lakers got all their runs off Martin, who left with one out in the sixth inning; but after falling behind 2-0 on Hunter Fann’s sacrifice fly and Oscar Kallis’ single in the first inning, the Royals scored six straight runs to take command.
Kalispell closed to 6-3 on Nikunen’s RBI single in the sixth, and loaded the bases with one out in the seventh — but bounced into a double play to end the game.
Andre Cephers and Jackson Heino split the pitching duties: Cephers allowed four hits, two walks and one run in his three innings, with two strikeouts; Heino allowed six hits and two walks, but just one of the six runs he allowed was earned. He fanned one.
Royals 001 320 1 — 7 10 1
Lakers 200 001 0 — 3 6 4
Nick Martin, Beard (6), Tracy (7) and Williams. Andre Cephers, Jackson Heino (4) and Buckmaster.
BILLINGS ROYALS — Tracy 1-4, Wilson 1-3, Fitch 0-3, Jenkins-Antle 1-3, Ballew 0-1, Williams 0-4, Smith 2-4, Beard 2-2, Baker 1-4, Murdock 2-4.
KALISPELL LAKERS — Brennan 1-2, Fann 0-3, Nikunen 2-4, Kahler 0-4, Kallis 2-4, Cephers 1-2, Buckmaster 0-2, Dixon 0-2, Schlegel 0-0, Brinkk 0-3.
2B — Smith, Wilson, Nikunen. 3B — Baker. RBIs — Baker, Murdock, Wilson, Fann, Nikunen, Kallis.