State A underway in Great Falls

Update: 11:45 a.m. 

The Gallatin Valley Outlaws opened up State A Tournament play with a hard fought 7-6 win over the Vauxhall Spurs on Thursday morning at Centene Stadium.

Giafranco Fillippini scattered 12 hits and struck out 10 as he picked up the complete-game victory for Gallatin Valley.


Tanner Johnson was 2 for 4 at the plate with a double and two RBIs for the Outlaws. John Holmes added a a pair of RBI singles as well.

Five players drove in runs for Vauxhall while Adam Kress led the way with three hits.

Gallatin Valley will face the winner of Mission Valley-Glasgow Friday afternoon in the winner's bracket, while the Spurs will await the loser of the Mariners and Reds in loser out play  Friday morning at 9 a.m.
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The 2012 State A American Legion Baseball Tournament is officially underway at Centene Stadium in Greats Falls.

The Gallatin Valley Outlaws and Vauxhall Spurs kicked things off this morning at 9 a.m. and concludes with the championship round on Monday beginning at 10 a.m.

Today's Games
Game 1 -- Gallatin Valley Outlaws 7, Vauxhall Spurs 6, Quarterfinal.
Game 2 -- Libby Loggers vs. Laurel Dodgers, quarterfinal, 12:30 p.m 
Game 3 -- Glasgow Reds vs. Mission Valley Mariners, quarterfinal, 4:00 p.m.
Game 4 -- Belgrade Bandits vs. Great Falls Electrics, quarterfinal, 7:30

Day two of district tournaments underway

Update: 6:15 p.m.

Medicine Hat finally emerged victorious over the Tri-County Cardinals with a 9-8 win in 15 innings to prolong their season at least one more day while the Bitterroot Bucs avenged a first-round loss with a 16-8 win over the Bitterroot Red Sox.

The Laurel Dodgers advanced in the winners bracket over in the Eastern A tourney with a 6-4 win over the rival Billings Blue Jays. Lewistown and Glasgow are underway in the other winners bracket contest.

In the southern A, the Bozeman Spikes eliminated Anaconda while Helena advanced to Saturday with a 5-4 win over Deer Lodge this morning. Gallatin Valley defeated Dillon 16-6 in the first winners bracket game with Belgrade and Livingston set to square off shortly.

This will be my last updates until later this evening as I will be covering the Scarlets-Royals crosstown contest beginning in 45 minutes at Dehler Park.
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Update: 3:10 p.m.

The Tri-County Cardinals and Medicine Hat Knights are locked in what's turning into a classic battle north of the border.

The Cardinals rallied to tie the game 8-8 with a five-run seventh inning. The two teams have now traded scoreless frames the rest of the way as they play on in the top of the 13th inning in Medicine Hat.
  
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Update: 1:50 p.m.

Five teams have staved off elimination for at least another day while five others are now heading home and "waiting until next year" to make a run at a State A Championship.

Team that were eliminated today:

Glendive Blue Devils (Eastern A)
Deer Lodge Wranglers (Southern A)
Great Falls Stallions (Northern A)
Kalispell Lakers A (Western A)
Miles City Mavericks (Eastern A)
Anaconda A's (Southern A)
Tri-County Cardinals (Northern A)


Currently their are three loser out games still in progress and will be wrapping up in the next couple of hours before we head full steam into this evening's winner bracket match ups.
 
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Update: 11:00 a.m.

Lethbridge has eliminated the Great Falls Stallions by a score of 14-4. It is my understanding, that the Stallions finished the season 0-29.

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Loser out action at the American Legion Class A District tournaments is well underway this morning around the state.

In Lewistown...The Billings Cardinals season will continue for at least one more day as they eliminated the Glendive Blue Devils in Eastern A loser-out action by a score of 17-6.

At Medicine Hat....Lethbridge is currently leading the Great Falls Stallions in the bottom of the seventh by a score of 13-4.

The Southern A in Livingston is underway with with Deer Lodge currently leading Helena 3-1 midway through that one.

Friday’s Schedules

Eastern A

(At Lewistown)

Losers Bracket

Billings Cardinals 17, Glendive 6, loser out

Richland County 6, Miles City (11 innings), loser out

Winners Bracket

Laurel 6, Billings Blue Jays 4.

Glasgow vs. Lewistown, 5 p.m.

Northern A

(at Medicine Hat, Alberta)

Losers Bracket

Lethbridge 14, Great Falls Stallions 4 (8 innings), loser out

Medicine Hat 9, Tri-County 8 (15 innings), loser out
Winners Bracket

Havre vs. Fort Macleod, 3 p.m.

Great Falls Electrics vs. Vauxhall, 6 p.m.

Southern A

(At Livingston)

Losers Bracket

Helena 5, Deer Lodge 4, loser out

Bozeman 13, Anaconda 6 , loser out
Winners Bracket

Gallatin Valley 16, Dillon 6

Belgrade vs. Livingston, 6 p.m. 

Western A

(At Missoula)

Losers Bracket

Kalispell 8, Glacier 4, loser out

Bitterroot Bucs 16, Bitterroot Red Sox 8, loser out
Winners Bracket

Kootenai Valley vs. Mission Valley, 4 p.m.
Libby vs. Missoula, 7 p.m.

Class A Districts: Friday preview

With the opening day of tournament play complete, there were a few things that caught my eye among the 16 opening-round games across the state.

The most notable to me of course, would be the dominating preformances from all four of the top seeds in their respective districts.

Laurel, Fort Macleod, Mission Valley and Belgrade all posted double-digit victories in solidifying themselves as the front runners for a championship run later this month.

There were only two upsets on day one, with the biggest coming in the Western A nightcap in Missoula. The host Mavericks recieved a dominating pitching performance from Anthony Hilliard who went the distance to put his team into a winners bracket game with Libby on Friday at 7 p.m.

The only other upset -- in terms of seeding -- took place in the Southern A, as the Dillon Cubs defeated Helena 11-9 this morning.

Looking ahead to Friday, I'm curious to see how the Bitterroot Bucs respond in their loser-out contest. The other game that has the most intrigue to me comes from the Northern A with Vauxhall and Great Falls. Those two clubs have been going toe-to-toe all year and will get to settle it once and for all.

What games are you looking forward to on day two?

Here is a quick glance at Friday's tournament pairings.

Friday’s Schedules

Eastern A

(At Lewistown)

Losers Bracket

Glendive vs. Billings Cardinals, 8 a.m.

Richland County vs. Miles City, 11 a.m.

Winners Bracket

Laurel vs. Billings Blue Jays, 2 p.m.

Glasgow vs. Lewistown, 5 p.m.

Northern A

(at Medicine Hat, Alberta)

Losers Bracket

Lethbridge vs. Great Falls Stallions, 9 a.m.

Tri-County vs. Medicine Hat loser, 12 p.m.
Winners Bracket

Havre vs. Fort Macleod, 3 p.m.

Great Falls Electrics vs. Vauxhall, 6 p.m.

Southern A

(At Livingston)

Losers Bracket

Helena vs. Deer Lodge, 9 a.m.

Anaconda vs. Bozeman, 12 p.m.
Winners Bracket

Dillon vs. Gallatin Valley, 3 p.m.

Belgrade vs. Livingston, 6 p.m.

Western A
(At Missoula)

Losers Bracket

Kalispell vs. Glacier, 10 a.m.

Bitterroot Red Sox vs. Bitterroot Bucs, 1 p.m.
Winners Bracket

Kootenai Valley vs. Mission Valley, 4 p.m.
Libby vs. Missoula, 7 p.m.

Updated: District Tournament scores

Update: 9:30 p.m.

Nearly 13 hours after it began, day one of the American Legion Class A District Tournaments is finally complete.

Vauxhall has defeated the host Medicine Hat Knights in the Northern A nightcap by a score of 7-2, while Missoula pulled off the biggest upset of the day by knocking off the Bitterroot Bucs, 2-1, in the Western A nightcap.

The Mavericks Anthony Hilliard turned in a solid performance on the mound as he scattered seven hits and walked just one in picking up the complete game victory. Hilliard also struck out five Bucs hitters.

The Bucs came into the Western A District tournament as the number two seed but now fall into a loser bracket contest with the Bitterroot Red Sox on Friday at 1 p.m.

Vauxhall used a pair of three-run innings and a solid pitching performance from starter Brandon Fehr to pull away from the Knights late Thursday evening to move into a winners bracket game against the Great Falls Electrics on Friday at 6 p.m.

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Update: 8 p.m.

Day one action is slowly winding down as the host Lewistown Redbirds wrapped up the first round of the Eastern A tournament with a 8-2 win over the Miles City Mavericks.

Games still in progress include Livingston leading Bozeman in the top of the seventh, 8-6, in the Southern A, Vauxhall is currently leading the Northern Division host, Medicine Hat, 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning and Missoula leads the Bitterroot Bucs by a score of 2-0 in the third.

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Update: 7 p.m.

In the Western A at Missoula, Mission Valley has shutout the Glacier Twins 14-0 in seven innings. The Mariners will face Kootenai Valley tomorrow in a winner's bracket contest at 4 p.m.

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Update: 6:30 p.m.

Another round of games is in the books across the state during day of district tournament action.

At Lewistown...the Glasgow Reds knocked off the Richland County (Sidney) Patriots by a score of 10-2 in the third game of the day in the Eastern A tournament. Glasgow will face the winner of Lewistown-Miles City tomorrow at 5 p.m.

Across the border in Medicine Hat...The Great Falls Electrics took advantage of seven Tri-County Cardinal errors on their way to a 13-9 victory. The Electrics await the winner between Vauxhall and host Medicine Hat. That is about to get underway.

And finally, down in Livingston...The number-one seed Belgrade Bandits looked every bit of that as they crushed the Anaconda A's, 27-2. The A's led that game at one point, 2-0.

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Update: 2:45 p.m.

Fort Macleod and Gallatin Valley earned relatively easy wins in their Northern and Southern A openers, respectively, on Thursday afternoon. Fort Macleod defeated Great Falls 17-7 with the help of a 9-run seventh and Gallatin Valley stormed past Deer Lodge with a 10-run sixth inning to win 14-2.

The Billings Blue Jays rallied from a 2-0 deficit for a 7-3 win in a round one victory of the rival Billings Cardinals in Eastern A action.

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Well, it's tournament time again around the state of Montana. All four American Legion Class A Districts are underway across the state with Laurel, Dillon and Havre winning their tournament-openers this morning.

The Dodgers made quick work of Glendive (16-0 in seven innings) in the Eastern A opener, while the Northern Division saw Havre rally past Lethbridge for an 8-7 win in the bottom of the ninth. Dillon outlasted Helena 9-8 in the Southern A's opening game of the day. In the Western A, Kootenai Valley defeated Kalispell 8-5.

For up to the minute scores check out some of the links below or follow Montana American Legion Baseball on twitter: @MTLegionBBall.

Northern A 
Havre 8, Lethbridge 7
Fort Macleod 17, Great Falls Stallions 7 (8 innings)
Great Falls Electrics 13, Tri-County 9
Vauxhall 7, Medicine Hat 2
Southern A 
Dillon 11, Helena 9
Gallatin Valley 14, Deer Lodge 2 (7 innings)
Belgrade 27, Anaconda 3
Livingston 9, Bozeman 6

Eastern A
Laurel 16, Glendive 0 (7 innings)
Billings Blue Jays 7, Billings Cardinals 3
Glasgow 10, Richland County (Sidney) 2
Lewistown 8, Miles City 2

Western A 
Kootenai Valley 8, Kalispell 5
Libby 16, Bitterroot Red Sox 3
Mission Valley (Polson) 14, Glacier 0 (7 innings)
Missoula 2, Bitterroot Bucs 1

Sheets to make first start since 2010

With the 2012 MLB All-Star game in the books and teams back into the routine of their162-game schedules, I thought now would be a good time to take a look ahead to the second half of the season over the coming days.

For me, one of the most intriguing storylines to open the second half is the return of right-handed pitcher Ben Sheets.

The Atlanta Braves signed Sheets to a minor league deal on July 1^st and he will make his first start for them on Sunday against the New York Mets.

Sheets will turn 34 on Wednesday and hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2010 when he blew out his elbow but has told several media outlets that he feels good and that “everything is working.”

Sheets didn’t light up the minors in two starts at AA Mississippi while posting a 0-1 record and allowing six earned runs in just 10 2/3 innings but the right-hander did strike out 10 and walk just one over that span.

If Sheets is anywhere close to being as effective as he was in 2007 and 2008, the Braves may have shored up a key hole as they look to catch the Washington Nationals in the National League East race.

How do you think Sheets will fare in his comeback attempt?

Frare makes GCL debut

Left-handed pitcher, Caleb Frare made his professional debut on Thursday, starting the GCL Yankees game against the GCL Phillies in Clearwater, Fla. by earning a no decision in the Yankees 8-5 loss.

Frare started strong in his first professional outing, getting the first four Phillies batters to pop out or fly out, but back to back hits by William Carmona and Willians Astudillo and walk loaded the bases for Zach Green.

Green, the Phillies third-round pick in last months MLB Draft, drove Frare's offering to deep center to clear the bases and chase Frare from the game.

The six-foot-one Frare is a native of Miles City and was the New York Yankees 11th-round pick in last month's draft.

District 1 Majors Tournament off and running



Burlington C/SS/P Dylan Johnson following
his 3 HR night on Thursday in the opening-round
of pool play during the MT District 1 Tournament.



The Burlington Little League All-Star team got their Montana District 1 Tournament off to a smashing start on Thursday night at Sacajawea Park with an 18-10 win over the Central Giants All-Stars.

Dylan Johnson homered three times, including a third-inning grand slam that gave his club a 7-2 lead, and Levi Drew and Si Ryan each ripped a pair of long balls.

In all, Burlington hit 10 homers as a team.

Michael Fenton, Andy Larsen and Conner Paul each added four-baggers for the victors, while Taylor Musgrave, Tyler Reed and Jarret Leinwand went deep in the loss as the teams combined for 13 dingers.

Big Sky defeated Lockwood 15-0 while scores from Boulder-Arrowhead vs. Laurel and the Heights contest with Roundup-Shepherd-Huntley were unavailable.

Round robin play continues on Friday. A  complete schedule of round-robin games can be found here.

Welcome to Behind The Plate with Ryan Minch

Welcome!

If you are looking for a unique perspective on all things baseball, well you have come to the right place.

Behind The Plate will focus on all levels of baseball from the little leagues of Montana to the Major Leagues with opinions, interviews and maybe a few guest bloggers now and then.

So sit back and enjoy our "National Pastime".