Whitefish Baseball Ends Season with Sapa-Johnsrud Tourney

The Whitefish Bulldog Baseball team closed out the weekend, co-hosting the 3rd Annual Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament.

Both Columbia Falls and Whitefish would host games at their respective fields as part of the Tourney.

In all, six total teams participated: Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Eureka, Bigfork, Corvallis, Polson and Frenchtown.

The Dawgs would get things going Friday night against one of the best teams in the state, Frenchtown. The Broncs entered the Tourney 15-1 on the season.

Whitefish came away with a big 7-4 victory to open tournament play.

The Dawgs used a big first inning to take control of this ball game. Whitefish scored all 7 of their runs in the 1st inning. They brought 13 batters to the plate in the frame that showcased stellar base running and timely hitting. Christian Schwaderer had a Sac Fly RBI. Avery Caton and Calvin Eisenbarth had RBI Singles while Carter Godsey had an RBI Double. Reyd Boyer would steal home as well, to cap off an electric start.

Christian Schwaderer got the start and picked up the win, pitching 3 innings. He gave up 4 runs on 5 hits while striking out 3. Bear Barker and Carter Godsey pitched the final 3 innings to close the door.

On Saturday, the Dawgs would play host to a familiar opponent, Polson, to close out play at the Sapa-Johnsrud.

Saturday was the final game of the season for the Dawgs.

And this game would not disappoint. Whitefish won in a thriller, 10-8.

Polson struck first, scoring in the 1st inning to take a 1-0 lead.

Whitefish would then score the games next 6 runs.

The Dawgs scored 2 in the bottom of the second with a Drew Queen RBI Walk and a Carter Godsey Fielder's Choice RBI.

Whitefish would open things up in the 3rd with a 4-run frame. Christian Schwaderer had a 2-RBI Triple and came home later to score on a passed ball. Drew Queen added another when he reached via an error.

Polson would not go down quietly.

The Pirates battled back, thanks to a 7-run 4th inning. Wyatt Wadsworth led off the inning with a solo Home Run. The Pirates grabbed the momentum and after 4 innings of play it was Polson 8, Whitefish 6.

The 5th inning  is when the magic happened. After the first two batters were retired, Carter Godsey would reach safely via a 2-out walk. That brought Calvin Eisenbarth to the plate. On a 1-0 count Eisenbarth delivered a 2-run Home Run, his first of his career. That tied up the ball game at 8 all.

The Dawgs would then plate two more in the bottom of the 6th as Tait Orme and Reyd Hobart each had RBI Singles. Ryan Conklin closed the door in the 7th to send Whitefish into the off-season with a big 10-8 win.

Whitefish Bulldog Baseball officially ends the season 15-5 overall.