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Bandits have tough weekend in Eureka

The weather took a turn for the worse this weekend, and so did the results for the Bandits

The weather took a turn for the worse this weekend, and so did the results for the Bandits, which suffered a pair of losses against the Kootenai Valley Rangers on Saturday in Eureka.

It was a close opener, as the Cranbrook squad spotted the Rangers a 3-0 lead before scoring their only run in the fifth inning.

Tyler Thorn pitched six innings, allowing four hits with three strikeouts and three walks during his time on the mound.

The Rangers opened it up in the first inning with an RBI from RJ Glover, and doubled the lead in the fourth when Joe Schlarman brought Austin Perez home.

Kootenai Valley added their third run the following inning, before the Bandits got up on the board on a sacrifice fly from Kei Chlopan, which brought home Jake Bromley.

Rangers pitcher Sam Hannay did an effective job holding the Bandits at bay on the plate, allowing only three hits in seven innings with 12 strikeouts and two walks.

The two teams took a quick break, then headed back out onto the diamond for a rematch, but despite the higher-scoring game, the Cranbrook team fell 11-9.

The Bandits built up a 7-2 lead after two innings, but the Rangers came on late in the game, adding five runs in the sixth to clinch a come-from-behind win.

Devon Marra handled most of the pitching, allowing 10 hits in five innings, with a walk and two strikeouts. Connor Armstrong pitched two-thirds of an inning, while Kei Chlopan handled the rest.

On RBI's from Marra, Connor Armstrong and Cedar Kemp, the Bandits went up 5-0 in the first inning, and scored Brenden Bird and Chlopan in the second inning.

However, the Rangers soon started chipping away at their deficit, and eventually mounted a comeback.

With the Bandits up 8-2, the Rangers scored twice in the fourth inning and, added another pair of runs in the fifth.

With a four-run lead, the Bandits scored again as Thorn came across home plate on an error, but the Rangers weren't fazed.

The Bandits struggled through a tough sixth inning, giving up five runs with four hits to Kootenai Valley and suffered some defensive errors, which allowed the hosts to take and maintain an 11-9 lead.

The Bandits had a pair of games scheduled against the Whitefish Glacier 'B' team on Sunday, but both were rained out.



Trevor Crawley

About the Author: Trevor Crawley

Trevor Crawley has been a reporter with the Cranbrook Townsman and Black Press in various roles since 2011.
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