Twins: Rough go at Sapa-Johnsrud

The Glacier Twins were bounced from the Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament in Whitefish on Saturday following an extra-inning, 6-5 loss to the Spokane Cannons.

Spokane rallied to tie the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh and scored the go-ahead run in the ninth.

“The boys played well,” Twins coach Bob Rupp said of the close game. “We made a couple errors at the end. If we didn’t make those, we’d probably win that game.”

Spokane went on to win the tournament with a 12-0 blowout over Great Falls in the championship game.

The Twins opened the tournament going 2-1 in pool play. On July 11, the Twins rallied past Lethbridge in the bottom of the seventh for a 11-10 victory.

The Elks posted five runs in the top of the frame to take a 10-9 lead, but the Twins came back to score the go-ahead run when Zack Darling hit an RBI single to bring in Austin Robins.

The teams traded leads nine times and combined for 23 hits. Simmons finished 2-for-2 at the plate. Brandon Maassen pitched 3 2/3 innings and tallied five strikeouts. Peter Seymour pitched three strong innings.

Seymour has been battling a shoulder injury all season but he’s finally healthy enough to get back in the pitching rotation, Rupp said.

“It’s exciting to see Peter really working out there,” the coach said.

The Twins topped the Meridian Rangers 8-4 on July 12 with solid pitching and fielding. Hugh Ramlow worked the mound for 6 2/3 innings for the win, tossing 15 first-pitch strikes.

A four-run fourth inning put the Twins on top for good. Robins crushed a 3-RBI double to left field to make the score 7-2.

Later that night, the Twins fell to Great Falls, 6-1. The Twins were held to three hits and scored their only run in the first inning.

Rupp praised the Twins defense throughout the tourney and commended Maassen at center field.

“He made a couple outstanding catches for us,” Rupp said.

The Twins (27-17, 13-5) will travel to Missoula on July 17 for a conference game with the Mavericks. They’ll be at home the next day for two non-conference games with Coeur d’Alene, and then finish the regular season on the road with conference games at Cranbrook and Libby.

Rupp says the Twins are in position to finish strong heading into the district tournament in Eureka.

“These boys can play with anybody if they concentrate and hit well,” Rupp said.