Loggers Legion baseball winless at Big Bucks tourney

The Libby Loggers Legion baseball team lost 10-2 to the Kootenai Valley Rangers Sunday morning, ending the Big Bucks tournament 0-4.

The Loggers were outscored 45-13 on the weekend.

“We had guys in scoring position and we didn’t produce,” Coach Kelly Morford said. “We need to play better and straighten things up.”

Against the Rangers, the Loggers were able to respond early in the game but didn’t have answers late.

The Rangers started off the game with two runs in the top of the first inning after Nick Rackley reached base on a dropped fly ball by the Loggers. Starting pitcher Cameron Burkes then walked two consecutive batters, allowing Rackley to score on a passed ball.

The second run crossed the plate when the Loggers forgot to pay attention to a runner going home, instead focusing on getting another runner out in a pickle.

“The mistakes we made, plus the walks, made it really tough on us,” Morford said.

Libby would even the game up in the bottom of the first inning, but wouldn’t score for the rest of the game.

Burkes started off the inning with an infield hit, and was able to advance to second base on a steal. Shortstop Will Reichel singled to advance Burkes to third. Eventually, third baseman Dylon Lane came to the plate with two outs and runners on second and third base.

Lane took advantage of the situation, lining one right up the middle, scoring two runs. This was one of the few times the Loggers took advantage of runners in scoring position.

“We needed run support,” Reichel said. “Our offense needed to step up.”

A scoreless second inning set the stage for the Rangers’ dominant third inning. The Rangers scored seven runs, putting the game well out of reach for the Loggers.

Morford said the offense needs to produce in a tournament setting in which the pitchers’ arms start to wear down. But that didn’t happen.

In the first game of the tournament, the Loggers were shut out, losing 10-0 to Rainier Baseball. Libby finished the game with three hits and six errors.

The second game of the tournament against the Lewis and Clark Cubs was the closest the Loggers came to a win. Libby held a 2-0 advantage after scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. But the Cubs exploded in the third inning, scoring six runs on five hits, with two errors by the Loggers.

Libby would score three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, but were unable to slow Lewis and Clark down. The Loggers lost the game, 12-8, tallying only six hits on the day.

The Loggers would find themselves in a similar situation in the third game of the tournament against the Helena Reps. Libby was down 13-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning before they would score. Helena would win the game 13-3.

Helena would go on to win the tournament, defeating the Moscow Blue Devils 7-5 in the championship game.

Libby’s next two games are on the road against the Glacier Twins and the Kootenai Valley Rangers.

They will return to Lee Gehring Memorial Stadium on June 30 to face the Glacier Twins.