Kalispell Lakers finished 3rd at the Montana State American Legion Tournament in Miles City, MT

(By Carl Hennell) MILES CITY--The only team to beat the Lakers at the state tournament won it all for the second straight year.

The Kalispell Lakers Class AA American Legion baseball team finished the season just one victory away from the state championship game. The loss came at the hands of the Billings Scarlets, who also beat the Lakers in the opening round of the tournament. The Lakers either beat or outlasted every other team.

After beating the Lakers, 7-4, in Wednesday's first game, the Scarlets went on to beat Bozeman for the state championship, 6-3.

The Lakers finished the state tournament with three victories and came home as Montana's third-best team. It was the program's best finish since 1988. The Lakers finished the season 13 games over .500 with a 37-24 record.

The Lakers will lose six players: team captains Pat Hergesheimer and Toby Liechti, along with Ben Sansaver, Bryant Eickert, Blaine Matulevich and Zane Ridings.

Hergesheimer is transferring from the University of Montana-Missoula to UM-Western in Dillon to play football. Liechti will continue his engineering academic pursuits at Montana State University in Bozeman. Sansaver earned a baseball scholarship at Miles Community College in Miles City. Eickert is going to school at UM. Matulevich earned a scholarship at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and will pursue an engineering degree. Ridings is transferring from Victor Valley Community College, where he pitched, to Everett Community College in Everett, Wash., to pursue is collegiate pitching career.