No matter when they meet, the Bitterroot Bucs and the Bitterroot Red Sox always put on a good show as was the case Sunday evening for the championship of the Willard and Wilma Rassmussen American Legion Baseball Tournament in Florence. The two teams battled their way through the tough ranks of the tournament to earn the chance at the championship.

The teams for this tournament are invited because they play tough baseball and are not from this area according to Bucs manager Dustin Bahm. Most of the time, these teams are not seen until the state tournament. This year, teams from Vauxhall, Alberta, Lewistown, and Dillon joined the Bucs and the Red Sox for the three day tourney at Florence.

The Bucs and the Red Sox opened the tournament on Thursday and played to a 12-12 tie. Beau Nordberg went 3-for-4 at bat for the Red Sox in the game. The Bucs were led by Matthew Perez and Jeremy Johnson who were each 3-for-4 at bat.

The Red Sox defeated Dillon, 7-6, in a close game on Friday. Rodee Anderson was 2-for-4 at bat and took the win after stepping to the mound in the third inning. Andrew Shook also went 2-for-4 for the Sox. Saturday, the Red Sox defeated Lewistown, 17-9. Matt Hamlin finished with three doubles while Shook went 3-for-4. Mike Stanford had the win on the mound. Sunday morning, the Red Sox defeated Vauxhall, 11-1, in their last game of pool play. Austin Allen took the win for the Sox and finshed with a double, three RBIs and a home run.

The Bucs also tore through their opponents on the way to the championship game. They defeated Dillon, 13-11. Koby Salmela was 3-for-4 for the Bucs. Trevor Stoos had the win for the Bucs. Saturday, the Bucs stopped Vauxhall, 13-3 behind the hitting of Jeremy Johnson who had a two-run home run at the beginning of the game to give the Bucs their momentum. Zach Damron was pitching for the Bucs in this game and got the win, setting up the all valley championship game.

The two teams battled for two innings before Anderson crossed the plate for the Red Sox in the bottom of the second inning. Jeremy Johnson made a diving save for the Bucs at third base which stopped the scoring run.

The Bucs came back in the top of the third to tie the score when Perez hit an RBI single to score Riley Phillips. But, just like the Red Sox, the tough defense put a lid on the scoring for both teams for another two innings. The Red Sox scored in the bottom of the fifth inning to lead by one run but again, the Bucs came back to score in the next inning.

Bitterroot Bucs catcher Billy Hanna makes the tag on Beau Nordberg of the Bitterroot Red Sox in a crucial play Sunday during the championship game. Jean Schurman photo.

Jeremy Johnson of the Bitterroot Bucs makes a diving catch at third base during the championship game of the Willard and Wilma Rassmussen American Legion Baseball Tournament in Florence over the weekend. Jean Schurman photo.

Cade Hornaday of the Florence All Stars launches into third base as Robbie Johnson of the Bitterroot Bolts stands his ground. The Bolts defeated Florence, 9-8, at the Florence tournament on Sunday. Jean Schurman photo.

Johnson led off for the Bucs with a single. Then Trevor Stoos stepped up and laid down a bunt in front of home plate. The cutoff throw to second was overthrown and Johnson advanced to second while Stoos was on first. Zach Blackstun also bunted and advance the runners to put Johnson in scoring position. Philips knocked in an RBI single to tie the game before the Bucs were stopped.

Philips then moved to the pitchers mound to close the game out. He struck out two Red Sox batters before Shook hit a single to get on base. Nordberg was hit by a pitch and there were two Red Sox on board. Hamlin hit a single to score Shook and the Red Sox had the lead again.

With just one inning remaining, the Bucs had their work cut out for them. Perez hit a single to lead off and then Billy Hanna was walked as was Tyler Lind. With three Bucs knocking at the door, the Red Sox made a pitching change and put Jake Lindquist on the mound. A wild pitch scored Perez to tie the game. Then Stoos hit a ground ball up the middle to score R.T. Llewellen (the base runner for Hanna) and Lind. A line drive by Bechtold and a throw from Lindquist to Anderson ended the inning for the Bucs who were leading, 5-3.

Strong play by the Bucs held the Red Sox scoreless in the final inning and put the trophy in the Bucs’ hands.

“I have all the confidence in the world in the Red Sox,” said Brett Henry, manager of the team. “We had some kids like Trevor Brown step up and do an amazing job for us.”

Brown, a first year player, pitched the championship game for the Red Sox and took the loss.

Bucs’ manager Bahm said he was pleased with how his team played at the end of the tournament ‘even though they were tired and sore. We haven’t peaked yet.”

Like Henry, Bahm was pleased with his young pitcher, Philips, who stepped up and pitched a solid inning. “He not only pitched well, he took over on shortstop while Matt Perez was pitching. That just adds to our depth.”

The Bucs and the Red Sox will meet in a double header on Wednesday night in Hamilton. The district tournament will be July 23-26 in Whitefish.

Class A teams play in Stevensville

If you think feeding one teenaged football player is tough, try feeding 11 teams full of hungry players. That was the job of the Stevensville Booster Club over the weekend as the host of the second annual Class A football camp. Teams from eleven Class A schools came to learn more about offense, defense, and team building from their peers. Teams from Laurel, Lewistown, Libby, Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Ronan, Corvallis, Havre, Hardin, Dillon and Stevensville participated in the clinic.

“This is a great opportunity for our team,” said Corvallis coach Russ Hendrickson. “Everyone really works hard to make this a great camp.”

The three-day camp gives teams and coaches a chance to see what the fall season will bring. The coaches from the different schools work together to give the players a complete clinic with everything from passing to tackling and blocking covered. The clinic is held on the practice fields to the south of the school complex which has plenty of room for the players to scrimmage and the coaches to watch.

The teams, with the exception of some of the Stevensville and Corvallis players, all stay at the school, sleeping on the gym floor and eating all their meals at the cafeteria. The coaches also stay with their team but they aren’t as excited about sleeping on the floor.

Amy Beller, the secretary of the Booster Club, planned the meals for the clinic. She said everyone really stepped up to help with a variety of jobs. There were the 15-20 people who showed up at every meal to help serve and clean up. It was no surprise that there were quite a few high school girls who helped with this job. Every meal but the breakfasts had homemade desserts that were brought in fresh everyday.

The menus consisted of pizzas, barbequed burgers, Subway sandwiches, and chicken and baked potatoes for lunches and dinners. For the breakfasts there was French toast, pancakes and breakfast burritos. In addition to Subway, Kodiak Jax, Jakers and many other businesses donated foot. Parents and teachers also chipped in to donate cooking time also.

Beller said that all of the donated help and food was a great help. The club plans to use all proceeds from this clinic to build a new concession stand, locker rooms and bathrooms at the football field.

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