HELENA — The Helena Senators and Missoula Mavericks will play for the Class AA American Legion baseball state championship after both teams earned wins at Kindrick Legion Field Saturday.
The reigning champion Senators, who actually clinched their berth in the championship with a win over the Billings Royals in Friday's undefeated semifinal, defeated the Billings Scarlets 4-3 on Saturday, eliminating the top-seeded Scarlets from the tournament.
Missoula defeated the Royals 7-2 in a loser-out game Saturday to advance to the championship, which will begin with the first of possibly two games at 11 a.m. Sunday. The Mavericks must defeat Helena twice Sunday to win the championship, while Helena, which has not lost in the state tournament, needs to win only one game.
Missoula Mavericks 7, Billings Royals 2
Brennan Labbe struck out six batters and allowed just one earned run in seven innings pitched to help Missoula to a 7-2 win over the Billings Royals on Saturday.
Labbe started his day by giving up a single to Sy Waldron, but he got Chaise Tracy to hit into a double play on the next at-bat and then ended the inning by getting Ryan Denowh to ground out.
Labbe helped his cause in the bottom half of the inning, getting on base with a single to center. Three batters later, Easton Reimers brought Labbe home for a 1-0 Mavs lead.
Billings would tie the game in the top of the third, but the Mavs would gain some separation in the bottom of the inning. The first three batters loaded the bases, then Colter Nicolareson and Colin Boyce brought two runners across and Rylan Davis walked to bring in another.
The Royals got one run back in the fifth inning, but the Mavs put two more on the board in the sixth.
In addition to his strong showing on the mound, Labbe went 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored. Chris Compton was 1-for-2 with a walk, a run and two RBIs for the Mavs, and Reimers, Nicolareson, Boyce, Davis and Carter Taylor each had one RBI.
Billings was led by Waldron, who went 4-for-4 with one RBI.
Helena 4, Billings Scarlets 3
Carter Perlinski knocked in two runs and Connor Devine and Brayden Beatty each had one RBI as second-seeded Helena got its third one-run win of the state tournament with a 4-3 victory Saturday over the Billings Scarlets.
Devine, Perlinski and Beatty each scored in the first inning to give the Senators a quick 3-0 lead.
Billings got on the board in the bottom of the third inning when Colter Wilson scored on a Nolan Berkram single, but Helena pitcher Bohden Bahnmiller maintained control throughout, allowing only two earned runs in seven innings of work.
Perlinski added a solo home run for the Senators in the top of the seventh, which proved to be the difference. The Scarlets plated two runs in the bottom half of the inning, thanks again to Berkram, who hit a fly ball to left field to bring in Wilson and Jaron Pinter.
With two runners on and no outs, Bahnmiller got Nathan McDonald to hit into a fielder's choice and Kyler Northrop to fly out. After Billings' Chase Wise walked to load the bases, Bahnmiller got Brady Randall to fly out and end the game.
Berkram led the Scarlets going 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Wilson was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
