Stingy pitching, excellent defense and multi-hit games by Conor Dwyer, Mike Ponton and Mac Cuffe led the Mavs to a crisp 9-1 American Legion baseball victory at Lindborg-Cregg Field.
Missoula's best all-around effort since leaving a Rapid City, S.D., tournament they took second at 10 days previous boosted the team's mark to 11-4 in the Western Division, 38-18 overall and left manager Brent Hathaway nearly satisfied.
The beneficiary of most of the Mavs' glove work was starting pitcher Cody Burgmeier, who pitched seven innings to score the win. He allowed an unearned run on five hits. Burgmeier, who doesn't blow hitters away with power pitching, walked three and didn't and record a strikeout. He retired the final seven Moose Monarchs he faced.
“A few walks here and there, not a bunch of strikeouts, but he lived in the strike zone all night and he got a lot of defensive help behind him,” Hathaway said. “He just doesn't get himself in trouble.”
Dwyer topped the Mavs' 11-hit attack by going 4-for-4 with a double, a bunt single, an RBI and three stolen bases. Ponton, Missoula's designated hitter, added a double and a single and reached base on three of four at-bats. Missoula left fielder Cuffe wrapped a pair of singles.
Brian Fowler, usually a starter, threw the final two frames in relief of Burgmeier. After Riley Arnot reached first on a bad-hop error by second baseman Taylor King to begin the ninth, Fowler fanned Tyson Ford, Brendyn Lanz and Travis Ozdan to finish the game. Fowler walked one and didn't allow a hit.
Some of the Missoula highlights in the field included a diving stab of a Lanz line drive by King in the fourth and catcher Chris Bartenhagen's pickoff of Kyle Telke at first in the second.
Ozdan went 2-for-4 from his leadoff spot for Medicine Hat. His third-inning double was the Moose Monarchs' only extra-base hit. He came home on a miscue by Missoula shortstop Travis Johnsen and cut the Mavs' lead to 2-1.
In the fifth, Mavericks center fielder Dan Belet, whose two-run single in the second put the home team ahead, earned the first of four free passes allotted by Medicine Hat starter Katlin Nunweiller in the inning.
After Cuffe's sacrifice bunt, Dwyer and Bartenhagen drew back-to-back walks before a hit batter and an error plated two. Later in the frame, King worked a two-out walk with the bases full, giving the Mavs a 5-1 lead.
In the sixth, Cuffe came home after stealing third when the throw from Lanz, the Moose Monarchs catcher, sailed into the outfield.
A run-scoring double by Dwyer, an RBI groundout by reserve catcher Sean Dwyer and Johnsen's RBI single in the ninth capped the scoring.
“Getting a conference win... we just need to keep racking them up and putting pressure on the (Great Falls) Stallions,” Hathaway said. “We've got to set ourselves up as best as possible for seeding in the state tournament and every conference win helps.”
The teams will complete their two-game set Sunday. They faceoff at 11 a.m. in a game originally scheduled for 1 p.m. The start time was bumped ahead in hopes of beating the heat.”
Medicine Hat 001 000 000 - 1 5 3
Missoula 020 031 03x - 9 11 3
Katlin Nunweiller, Lee Fruson (8) and Brendyn Lanz. Cody Burgmeier, Brian Fowler (8) and Chris Bartenhagen, Sean Dwyer (8). W - Burgmeier. L - Nunweiller.
MEDICINE HAT - Travis Ozdan 2-5, Fruson 1-4, Brandon Anhorn 1-3, Austin Fruson 0-4, Nunweiller 0-0, Mitchell Frey 0-3, Dustin Thompson 0-4, Kyle Telke 0-2, Riley Arnot 0-1, Tyson Ford 1-4, Lanz 0-4.
MISSOULA - Dan Belet 1-3, Mac Cuffe 2-4, Conor Dwyer 4-4, Bartenhagen 0-2, S. Dwyer 0-1, Taylor Nordby 0-4, Mike Ponton 2-4, Trevor Bourquin 0-0, Travis Johnsen 1-4, Taylor King 1-2, Brendan Brown 0-2, Max Smith 0-2.
2B - Ozdan, C. Dwyer, Ponton. RBIs - Belet 2, C. Dwyer, S. Dwyer, Nordby, Johnsen, King.
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