Big bats lift 12U All-Stars at state tourney

The Whitefish 12U All-Stars snagged second place in the Cal Ripken Baseball state tournament last weekend to earn an invite to the Pacific Northwest district tourney.

Whitefish faced Polson in the championship game Sunday at Smith Fields after a perfect run through pool play.

Polson took an early 5-0 lead, but Whitefish’s big bats kept the All-Stars close. Justin McIntyre launched a two-run homer, and Drown smacked another one in the next at-bat to make it 5-3.

Polson tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to expand their lead. Whitefish’s Conklin would hit another homer, but it wasn’t enough as Polson took the state title with the 8-4 win.

Still, Whitefish coach Lindsay Fansler was impressed with his team’s performance over the weekend.

“It was great to see them come together,” Fansler said. “They’re playing well at the right time.”

Whitefish was perfect in pool play. The All-Stars crushed Bigfork 35-0 in the opening game Thursday, and knocked off Bitterroot 6-1 later in the afternoon.

Friday, Whitefish earned a hard-fought 5-3 win over Polson. Relief pitcher Ryan Galvan was stellar on the mound, pitching Whitefish out of a bases-loaded jam to keep Polson at bay in the final frame.

Saturday, the All-Stars defeated Salmon to wrap up pool play. Justin Conklin crushed a home run to help push Whitefish on top 10-0.

The All-Stars won their semi-final game Sunday morning 5-1 over No. 2 seed Columbia Falls. Galvan and Conklin each pitched three innings in the win. Logan Drown had two RBI and Chad Queen had one RBI.

The district tournament in Kalispell begins July 23 at the Kidsports Complex.