The Rasmussen Tournament was held over the weekend in Florence at the home of the Bitterroot Bucs. The tournament is named for Wilma Rasmussen, who was arguably the Bucs’ biggest fan. Although she passed away several years ago, her legacy lives on.
Wilma followed the Bucs in their move from Hamilton about 30 years ago. She was always there to encourage the players, give out hugs and brownies, and occasionally some advice on fielding or hitting. The tournament came about as a tribute to her loyalty.
The Bitterroot Bucs B team played the Glacier Twins in their first game of the tournament and earned a 6-5 walk-off win. Kenny Noland hit a long ball past second. That allowed Jaren McNair to score from second base and take the win.
The Bucs B team is made up of players that don’t have the experience that the Bucs A team does according to Tyler Scully, head coach. The players range in age from 14 to 17 but just haven’t had the experience of the other players. He said they are a very enthusiastic group of players who work hard to get better and play very well together.
The team lost to Cranbrook, 12-9, on Friday. They then played the Missoula Mavs and lost
On Sunday, the Bucs played Cranbrook again for a chance to advance to the championship. Cranbrook took an early lead in the game and was up by two runs. The Bucs scored three runs in the top of the 6th inning to tie the game at 4 all. The Bucs were holding the Bandits in the seventh inning until a passed ball at home plate allowed a Cranbrook runner to score and win the game, 5-4.
The Bucs A team won the Libby tournament in Libby.