HELENA — On Tuesday, the Helena Senators took on the Mavericks of Missoula in American Legion baseball. The Senators won the game in walk-off fashion on an RBI double from second baseman Brayden Beatty in the bottom of the eighth.
Beatty ended the game 3 for 5 and also drove in the game-tying run in the bottom of the sixth. Pitcher Lance Bratlien (5-2, 2.84 ERA) got the win for the Senators. But the main attraction was the 33rd annual Angel Fund Stuff the Bus campaign.
The Angel Fund is a local nonprofit helping children in the Helena area school districts with school items, including clothing, supplies, backpacks, classroom materials, field trip fees or other scholastic obligations. Janet Riis is the current executive director for Helena’s branch while also working as the director of financial aid for Carroll College.
Riis told MTN Sports that Tuesday's festivities "are a chance for our local schools in or around the Helena area to come together by supporting the community in an exciting and fun way at the baseball fields."
All gate proceeds from the game will benefit the Angel Fund. Local schools also competed to see who could get the most students in attendance, with the winners being rewarded with a boosted grant from this year’s “Stuff the Bus” fundraiser. Although it was a close battle on and off the diamond, Capital High School was named the winning school.
The win on the field improved the Seantors' record to 26-9 overall and 8-5 in conference play. The team headed to Bozeman on Wednesday for an invitational tournament at Heroes Park. For information about The Angel Fund or to make a donation, contact Janet Riis at 406-459-1889 or Marcia K. Wall at 406-439-1672, or send an email to theangelfundmt@gmail.com.
