Glacier Prep All-Stars win state

Team fights out of loser bracket to win extra-inning thriller in front of a packed house

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

The Glacier Prep All-Stars are Montana Babe Ruth state champions after rallying back from the loser bracket to defeat Bozeman 8-5 in extra innings Sunday afternoon at Sapa-Johnsrud field in Columbia Falls.

It is not often that the stars align for a team to win it all while hosting a state tournament on their home turf, but that's exactly what the local 13-year-olds accomplished over the weekend.

Winning a state trophy looked extremely unlikely for the team by Friday, as they were down to the wire against Bitterroot, with the loser packing their bags.

"It was unbelievable," Babe Ruth league president Ray Queen said. "They were down to the last out, with two down and nobody on base against Bitterroot. To come back and win that game is amazing. Keep an eye out for this team — they know how to win."

Glacier won that game 8-7, and followed it up with a 9-4 victory over Kalispell to advance to Sunday's championship bracket.

Because Bozeman was undefeated coming into Sunday, Glacier would have to beat them twice to win the state title.

"I just told the kids before the first game that if we play like we know we can, we can force that state title game," head coach Eric May said. "Just take it one game at a time."

With everything on the line, Glacier won the first game 5-3 to force another game. Jace Kalbfleisch pitched a fantastic five innings for Glacier, holding them to only three runs.

"He just held them at bay," May said. "He had a great game."

A huge crowd showed up for the second game, with the state championship trophy waiting for the victors. Glacier fell into an early 0-3 hole, but they showed the same heart and resiliency that got them out of the loser bracket.

"We got down right away, but we just never hung our heads," May said. "We just kept up the pressure."

Glacier tied the game in the fourth inning, then took a lead. Bozeman, with their backs against the wall, came back and tied the game in the sixth inning. The game was tied at the end of regulation time.

"We pushed a couple more runs across the plate to force extra innings," May said. "Then, in the eighth inning, we got a guy on base, stole second and had a big double. We got another base hit and got three runs across, and we were state champions."

May said it was a complete team effort that allowed his squad to take home the state hardware.

"Every single kid on that team contributed," he said. "They were excited. After we won the championship, everybody just went wild. I couldn't believe it."

The weekend was full of drama for the Glacier Prep All-Stars. They got off to a hot start, taking down Helena in their opener. They picked up a tough loss on Friday, losing 2-3 to rival Kalispell to put them into the loser-out bracket.

"That's the nice thing about a double-elimination tournament," May explained. "It allows you to slip up once and still come back."

Glacier was able to win their next five games, including a revenge victory over Kalispell to put them into Sunday's championship games.

"It was really nice being able to host the tournament because we were sleeping in our own beds," May said. "The fans were just awesome, too."

Queen said this was the first time anyone has hosted a state tournament for both the 13-year-olds and the 14-15 year-olds.

"We pulled it off with a bang," he said. "The whole community came together. We brought a lot of people to the valley, and we're really happy with how everything went. It was awesome."

Glacier Prep pitcher Peter Seymour was named MVP of the tournament.

The Glacier All-Stars, the 14-15-year-old team, started off the tournament hot but fizzled at the end. They went undefeated in the tournament until they faced Mission Valley on Sunday, losing 6-9. They ended up taking home third place in the tournament. The have gone 10-1 in their last 11 games.

"They are just a classy bunch of kids," said head coach Kurt Blades. "They deserve a lot of credit."

"It's disappointing, because they were easily the most talented team in the tournament," Queen said. "But hopefully they learn something from this."

The Glacier Prep team will be heading to Kelso, Wash., to play in the regional Babe Ruth tournament from July 27 to Aug. 2. The winner of that tournament will head to the Babe Ruth World Series in Jamestown, N.Y.

"Anything can happen with 13-year-olds," May said. "This group of kids won the state tournament when they were 11, so we know what regionals is like. Nothing is going to be a shock or an eye-opener for us. If we play our game, we have a good shot."