Bigfork Babe Ruth splits season openers

Bigfork's Babe Ruth Baseball team started their season off last week with two games, one of which they won.

They beat Hills Brothers team, of Whitefish 6-5 Saturday in a home game at Bear Creek Field. Mitchel Harsh pitched three innings and allowed just two runs and struck out two. Cody Dopps pitched for four innings in which he struck out eight players and gave up two runs. At the plate Dopps went 1-3, but made the most out of his hit, a two-run homerun. Curtis Jochen, also played well, according to head coach James LaFontaine, who said he had one catch and was 1-3 at the plate with a double and two RBI's. Alex May was 2-3 and scored once.

The team had their first double play of the season, a 1-6-3 play by Harsh, Luke LaFontaine and Kyle Parker.

"We had great pitching and some great defensive plays," Coach LaFontaine said.

The Bigfork team scored two runs in the first, three in the fourth and the winning run scored in the fifth.

"It was good to get our first win early in the season with such an inexperienced team," Coach LaFontaine said.

Bigfork lost their first game of the season the previous night, 5-1, to Montana Build of Whitefish. Parker pitched three innings, allowing just two hits and one run and he had the team's only hit of the game. Luke LaFontaine pitched two innings and allowed five hits and had two strike outs. Dopps pitched one inning in which he had three strike outs. While at bat, Dopps was hit by the pitcher and ultimately stole home to score Bigfork's only run of the game.

Bigfork's next two games are both in Columbia Falls. They play at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow, May 8, and 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 9. Their next home game is at 6 p.m. May 12 at Bear Creek Field.