Glacier Prep pulls off huge comeback win

Team rallies to upset Calgary at regional Babe Ruth Tournament, fall to Kelso, Wash., on Tuesday

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

The Glacier Prep All-Stars brought the fireworks to the Pacific Northwest Regionals Babe Ruth baseball tournament in Kelso, Wash., this week.

On Monday, they rallied to shock Calgary 11-10 and keep their momentum going after winning the Montana state tournament. The comeback was the talk of the tournament on Tuesday, as teams from around the country and sports reporters were asking about the kids from Montana who just never give up.

After falling behind 3-10 by the fifth inning, the Calgary squad thought they had it locked up. With their backs against the wall like they've been many times before this season, the Glacier bats came alive. They sparked an eight-run comeback without allowing a single run for the final three innings.

"The darn kids came back and we got a 'W'," head coach Eric May said. "They represented Montana well."

The winning run came in the bottom of the sixth inning, with the bases loaded and the game tied at 10-all. Jake Mitich hit a sacrifice fly with one out that scored Jake Slaybaugh from third, and the Glacier kids went wild.

Mitich also had a single in the fifth inning to complete a huge six-run rally in that frame. He also had an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning of the Montana state championship game to tie it up.

The game was reminiscent of the team's win in the Montana state championship game against Bozeman last week, when they had to overcome a four-run deficit. Coming back from a seven-run hole is by far their largest rally of the season, however, and it came at the right time.

"We scored eight unanswered runs," May said. "We got a lot of base runners on and got some timely hits. It was a fantastic game."

On Tuesday, the team played tournament host Kelso, Wash. They lost that game 2-8 to earn a 1-1 record, but the tournament is far from over.

After a bye on Wednesday, Glacier picks things up again against Hazel Dell Metro at 9:30 a.m., then play Meridian on Friday at 12:30 p.m. Tournament playoffs begin on Saturday.