State baseball: Bitterroot Valley foes Florence, Hamilton to square off in championship game (2024)

MISSOULA— Junior Mason Arlington fired a no-hitter in an 8-0 win over Belgrade on Friday at Ogren-Allegiance Park to send Florence-Carlton to the high school baseball state championship game for the first time.

Florence (17-1) will face Bitterroot foe Hamilton (16-3) in the state title game in an all-Southwest division affair at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Hamilton advanced to the chipper with a 10-4 win over Butte, another Southwest team.

"The Southwest really made us better this year," Arlington said. "I'm really impressed that all of these teams made it down here. I'm excited to see what happens."

Hamilton, also making its first trip to the title game, is the only team to have beaten Florence this year. The Broncs scored a 1-0 road win over the Falcons on March 22. Florence returned the favor with a 6-5 road win on April 11.

"We got the toughest conference for sure," Hamilton senior pitcher Conner Ekin said. "It's fun. Good competition. I think it makes us better coming into state."

Florence holds the longest winning streak in the state by any team this season. The Falcons have won 16 in a row since that lost to the Broncs.

Hamilton has the second-longest streak, having won 12 in a row since its loss to Florence. That stretch includes wins over the three other division winners— Belgrade, Polson and Columbia Falls, the last of which the Broncs beat in the tournament opener.

"In practice this week, just sitting here, I was like, ‘I think our team can actually do it,’" Hamilton junior first baseman Tyce O'Connell said. "We beat almost all the No. 1 seeds except for Columbia Falls coming into the tournament. I knew our first game was going to be one of our hardest games.

"Then we had these guys (Butte), my nerves started building again. I just feel like it’s great knowing we could be a top team in the state."

Florence is no stranger to playing in state championship games as it has won the past three State B football titles. Many of those football players are on this team, including Arlington, who was the quarterback this past season.

"I think it’s all trust," he said of his teammates, whether on the football or baseball field. "They trust me and I trust them with everything I got."

Florence is the first Class B school to make it to the championship game in the all-class tournament, beating Class AA Belgrade to make it there. Being a Class B team facing bigger schools doesn't faze them.

"I think we’re fine," Arlington said. "I think we just have heart and we set our minds right where we want it."

On the loser-out side of the bracket, Eureka (16-4-1) and Columbia Falls (16-3) stayed in contention for their first trophy at the state tournament by beating Whitefish and Polson in loser-out games on Friday.

Eureka will face Butte (11-7) and Columbia Falls will play Belgrade (15-4) in another loser-out game at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The winner of those contests will advance to the third-place game at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Polson (14-6) ended the tournament 0-2 after winning the inaugural state title last season. Whitefish (9-12) finished 0-2 after placing second last year.

Hamilton 10, Butte 4, semifinal

Hamilton's offense started slow but came through in a major way later in the game for the second day in a row. The Broncs used a three-run fourth inning to erase a 3-0 deficit and a six-run fifth inning to blow the game wide open.

The biggest hit in that crooked frame came from O'Connell, who mashed a three-run double that gave Hamilton an 8-3 lead. O'Connell's three RBIs from that swing were a team high, while Ekin and Boedy Tadvick each drove in two.

"My brain was, ‘If I get any type of hit, fly ball to the outfield, that guy’s scoring from third, that’s all we need,’" O'Connell said. "We needed one run and if I put a big hit on it, that’s three runs right there. I thought I did a great job there.

"It was just exciting seeing all the teammates celebrate, all the guys that came in from the runs. It was just amazing just seeing the moment and all the fans cheering, just knowing that you’re a big part of the game."

Brady DeMoss entered for O'Connell as a pinch runner, advanced on an error and scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-3. Three runs that frame were credited to Butte starter Gavin Trudgeon and three to reliever Lucas Harris-Huerta.

Toby DeMoss had started that inning by reaching on an error, Hunter Harrness got an infield single and Andrew Ricklefs was hit by a pitch. After a strikeout, Ekin drew a bases-loaded walk and Tadvick was hit by a pitch in the two at-bats before O'Connell delivered.

"When he hit the crap out of that ball, it was just all hell broke loose in the dugout," Ekin said. "It was awesome. That’s all you can ask for."

Ekin got the win by throwing a complete game on the mound. He held Butte to four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four.

Ekin settled in after Butte's Cayde Stajcar hit an RBI double, Quinn Cox carded an RBI sacrifice fly and Tocher Lee got an RBI double in the first two innings. Butte's only run after that came following a wild pitch in the sixth inning.

"Just got to battle through it," Ekin said. "We do it to ourselves every time. We shoot ourselves in the foot, let up a couple in the first inning, but then we get started. We get a couple hits going and we just get big innings.

"Pitching is a lot easier from ahead. I had a rough time finding it to start off, but I just had to change a few things to figure it out. My stride was a little short and that’s why I was spiking a lot of balls, so I lengthened my stride. Honestly what helped a lot is the headwind, and so then your ball starts moving a lot."

Florence 8, Belgrade 0, semifinal

Arlington was mobbed by senior catcher Jake Roth and his cheering teammates near the pitcher's mound as he sent the Falcons to the state championship game by throwing his first career no-hitter after he had come up short twice before.

"'That was amazing," he said of the on-field celebration. "We haven’t had that happen before. I’m just truly beyond happy that I get to have my team go to the championship game at state. I was just super pumped."

Arlington struck out 14 batters, 10 swinging and four looking, while using just a fastball and curveball from his five-pitch arsenal. The left-handed pitcher retired the final 20 batters he faced after a first-inning walk as he faced one batter above the minimum.

"Both my pitches felt great," he said after recently returning from an arm injury. "My curveball was on point. It was really dipping hard. My fastball, I just felt like it was staying flat and staying fast."

Arlington scored the first run of the game on Chase Wagner's triple as the Falcons put up two runs in each of the first two innings. Drew Wagner added an RBI double in the second inning. Florence also scored on a wild pitch and error in building a 4-0 lead.

Arlington kept dealing with that run-four lead until Levi Winters' RBI triple in the fifth inning made it 5-0. Florence added three more insurance runs in the top of the seventh, scoring one on an error and two on Roth's RBI triple.

"I’m kind of emotional right now," Arlington said. "It’s kind of cool. This team is what I’ve been working for so I’m just happy for myself just to be here and get my team where they are, just help them."

Columbia Falls 8, Polson 7, loser-out

Columbia Falls strung together a six-run fifth inning to erase a four-run deficit on its way to an 8-7 win. The Widcats led 2-0 after two innings before Polson tied it in the fourth and scored four times in the top of the fifth to go up 6-2.

Columbia Falls junior Reggie Sapa had what proved to be the winning hit when he clubbed a three-run triple for an 8-6 lead with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Nico Young had scored on a fielder's choice to begin the scoring that inning, Kellen Kroger crossed home on an error and Jett Pitts tabbed an RBI single to pull the Wildcats within 6-5 before Sapa's heroics.

Sapa finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs and one run. Cody Schweikert, Matthew Mitts, Pitts and Dayne Tu all drove in one run for the Wildcats. Columbia Falls out-hit Polson 11-7 and scored all eight runs against starter Landon Shoemake.

Sapa got the win on the mound in relief, holding Polson to one run on one hit and one walk over 1 2/3 innings. Espn Fisher went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs to pace Polson, which scored four unearned runs.

Eureka 15, Whitefish 8, loser-out

Eureka put together a pair of five-run innings on its way to a 15-8 win over Whitefish. The Lions led the entire way aside from a 1-1 tie in the first inning.

They were out-hit 11-10 but drew 14 walks while striking out just twice. They also took advantage of Whitefish's four errors to score seven unearned runs.

Eureka senior center fielder AJ Truman went 3 for 3 with a double, a triple, six RBIs, one run, two walks and a stolen base. Sophom*ore catcher Rogan Lytle finished 2 for 5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs.

Rowan Burow got the win, allowing six runs (three earned) on eight hits and four walks while striking out seven in 5 1/3 innings. At the plate, he drew four walks and scored four times. Tristan Butts also scored four times for Eureka.