Complete Coverage Of The 2025 Montana/Alberta Legion AA State Tournament

Tournament Recap: Four Days, 14 Games, One Champion

14 total games were played at Athletic Park in Medicine Hat, Alberta, for the 2025 Legion AA State Tournament over the weekend. Eight teams started the tournament, but by Sunday, there were just two left fighting to represent Montana in the 2025 Regional.

Wednesday: Day One Delivers

Billings Scarlets 2, Kalispell Lakers 1 - Scarlets Outlast Lakers in Nail-Biter Opener

The tournament kicked off on Wednesday with a nail-biter between the Kalispell Lakers and the Billings Scarlets. Scoreless through the first inning, the Scarlets jumped to a 2-0 lead after a pair of walks and RBI singles, knocked in by Tayshawn Johnson and Cody Collis’s second hit of the day. That tallied two of the Scarlets’ five hits in the game, with Michael Brew and Bridger Leland also earning a notch. The Lakers managed to push one across in the fifth, starting with an error that put Hunter Fann on first, and a double by Andre Cephers to move him to third. Kaedan Kahler singled to drive in the run, before the Lakers were put away. With three outs to go, the Lakers managed to get two on with a single and a walk, but an early strikeout and two pop-ups ended their comeback story.

Billings Royals 14, Bozeman Bucks 4 - Royals’ Mid-Inning Surge Sinks Bucks Early

Game 2 was quite a different story, with both the Bozeman Bucks and the Billings Royals scoring in the first inning. The first home run of the tournament came off the bat of Paxton Fitch, who hit a solo shot to left in the first. Down 3-1 going into the bottom of the second, the Royals built an impressive two-out rally, set up by a Bozeman error and a Camden Wilson single. After a pair of pop-ups, the Royals scored five on three singles, a Ryder Murdock double, and another error. The Royals didn’t slow from there, pushing one across in the third, four in the fourth, and another two in the fifth to end the game on the 10-run mercy rule.

Missoula Mavericks 2, Great Falls Chargers 0 - Mavericks Break Through Late in Tight Game 3

The Great Falls Chargers played the Missoula Mavericks next in a six-hit, pitchers’ duel. Deuce Nichols was on the bump for the Chargers, pitching six innings with three hits, two runs, and seven strikeouts. Nichols went through 24 batters on 80 pitches — with 64 strikes. The Mavericks finally got some runs in the bottom of the sixth, starting with a Chargers error and followed by Kaden Thennis and Stellan Ridley driving in runs on their third time through the order. Schuyler Fairchild went 6.2 innings for the Mavericks, being pulled in the 7th due to pitching limits (presumably). Fairchild recorded five strikeouts and allowed just three hits over his 80 pitches to 22 batters. Down 0-2 in the 7th, the Chargers were shut out by Fairchild and his reliever, Andrew Richardson.

Helena Senators 7, Medicine Hat Monarchs 2 - Senators Spoil Medicine Hat’s Home Debut

The final game of Wednesday saw the hosting Medicine Hat Monarchs face the top-seeded Helena Senators. Helena opened the scoring in the second with a sacrifice fly from Connor Devine and poured it on from there. The Monarchs scored their first run of the game with two outs in the third, as Kaleb Bozek delivered an RBI single. Lightning struck in the fifth, as Carter Perlinski hit a three-run home run following a single and a walk, putting the Senators up 5-1. The Senators added some insurance in the 6th with a two-RBI single from Kai Richey. The Monarchs tried valiantly to mount a comeback, but their candles were blown out with two strikeouts, both looking.

Thursday: Winners Rise, Losers Pack Up

Kalispell Lakers 4, Great Falls Chargers 1 - Lakers Eliminate Chargers with Late Push

The first of the loser-out games was Thursday in Game 5, with the Great Falls Chargers falling to the Kalispell Lakers 4-1. Great Falls looked hot early, leaving three stranded in the second and pushing across the first run of the game in the third. The Chargers continued to get runners on, putting bat-to-ball nine times in the game, but were unable to get any more runners across the plate. The Lakers responded in the fourth, with a trio of singles pushing two runs across. It remained 2-1 until the sixth, when the Lakers got runners in scoring position off of a walk and a double by Luke Nikunen. They were driven in by an Andre Cephers sacrifice bunt, and Nikunen advanced on defensive interference. The Chargers went three up, three down in the top of the seventh.

Bozeman Bucks 15, Medicine Hat Monarchs 0 - Bucks Blitz Monarchs in Five-Inning Blowout

The hosting Monarchs went up against the Bozeman Bucks next, and the Monarchs didn’t get their hunting license. After a flyout for the first out of the second, the Bucks drew three walks, drove in two on a Sam Talbot single, and added three more to the board with the help of a Van Shockley triple. The walks continued as the Bucks showed impressive discipline, drawing nine walks in the game and forcing the Monarchs to use five different arms in a desperate attempt to stay alive. The Bucks pushed across three in the third, and seven in the fourth on their way to a 15-0 rout.

Missoula Mavericks 1, Billings Scarlets 0 - Reimers, Prill Duel in Tournament’s Tense Thriller

The Scarlets brought the drama this tournament, with their average run differential only 1.5 over the whole tournament. Their second game wasn’t an outlier, as they faced the Missoula Mavericks Thursday evening. Only two pitchers saw the mound — E. Reimers for the Mavericks, who went seven innings with seven hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts on 99 pitches, 69 for strikes, and P. Prill for the Scarlets, who threw 79 pitches (59 strikes) through six innings, with only four hits, one walk, eight strikeouts, and a single earned run. That run was the difference maker, with Kaden Thennis hitting a single to kick things off and advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt, before Owen Felton singled him in from there. The Scarlets ended with seven hits in the game, but couldn’t push a run across of their own.

Helena Senators 5, Billings Royals 4 - Senators Walk Off Royals in Instant Classic

Thursday night’s finale between the Royals and Senators saw both sides strike early — 1–1 after one, with RBIs from Paxton Fitch and James DeMers. The Royals added to their tally with a bases-loaded RBI from Ryder Murdock, and added two more to their total thanks to a C.J. Jenkins-Antle single and a Senator error off the bat of Camden Wilson. That’s where their luck would run out, however, as the Senators loaded the bases and brought them all home with a Connor Devine double to tie it at 4-4. It’d remain tied until the bottom of the seventh, with the Senators opening the window of hope via a lead-off double by Brayden Beatty. An intentional walk gave the Royals the force out at third, which was used to get the first out of the inning. Another flyout to right without a tag-up put the Royals in control with two outs, but a walk loaded the bases and shifted the momentum back towards Helena before Keaton Troyer drew a game-winning walk to seal the 5-4 win.

Friday: Three Games, One Step Closer

Billings Scarlets 3, Bozeman Bucks 1 - Scarlets Send Bucks Packing with Gritty Win

Bozeman opened Friday against their second Billings opponent of the tournament. Both teams scored in the third, with Bozeman getting two on base via walks before Van Shockley singled to left to drive in one. The Scarlets responded, with Cody Collis hitting into an error before stealing second, and then tagging up to take third and home on a pair of sacrifice flies. Each team threatened with runners in the fourth, but the Scarlets managed to score two more in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double from Brady Randall and an RBI single by Jakob Wilcox. It was quiet from there, with the Bucks hitting into a double play in the sixth, and going four-up, three-down in the seventh and falling 3-1.

Billings Royals 3, Kalispell Lakers 2 (9 Innings) - Tense Nine-Inning Fight Sees Royals Advance

The Kalispell Lakers struck first in Game 10 against the Billings Royals, loading the bases on a pair of walks and a single, before a sacrifice fly from Brady Buckmaster drove in a run. It stayed 1–0 through the fifth, and in the top of the sixth, the Lakers managed to add another run on a passed ball, but were unable to push across the other two runners on base, who ended up stranded. A walk, a sacrifice bunt, and a single gave the Royals runners on, until Paxton Fitch took second on the throw-in and pushed Chaise Tracy to third. Anthony Williams finished the job, hitting into a Lakers error and driving in the two runners.

The seventh came and went tied 2-2, and it remained quiet until the ninth, when the Lakers threatened with a single and a sacrifice bunt, moving the runner to second, and prompting the Royals to intentionally walk the next batter. The Lakers weren’t able to make anything happen, ending the inning on a flyout and a pickoff at first. It looked like we might be heading to the tenth as the Lakers got two quick outs, but Brady Baker kept the Royals’ hopes alive with a single. Baker managed to get himself to third on some smart baserunning (and a couple of passed balls), and Ryder Murdock was able to single to center to send Baker home and the Royals to the semifinals.

Missoula Mavericks 2, Helena Senators 1 - Missoula Defense Holds as Senators Fall Short

The Helena Senators scored their sole run of Game 11 in the bottom of the first against the Mavericks, kicked off by a Walker DesRosier single and a walk, before a fielder’s choice left runners on the corners. A single by James DeMers scored the run, but a strikeout ended the inning with three runners stranded. Missoula answered right away, with a pair of singles and an error on a bunt loading the bases for Easton Reimers, who sacrificed himself to right field to bring home a run and tie it up at 1-1. Missoula struck again in the fifth, with another pair of singles setting up an RBI double play. From there, it’d be just two more hits, with both pitchers shoving from the rubber. Aaron Fuzesy would go seven innings for the Senators, striking out 3 and walking one, with two runs, one earned, and five hits. Andrew Richardson started for the Mavericks, and he went six innings with seven strikeouts, three walks, and one earned run on three hits.

Saturday: Punching the Final Ticket

Billings Scarlets 3, Helena Senators 1 - Senators Bow Out as Scarlets Stay Clutch

Saturday’s first game saw five innings without a run, despite nine of the thirteen hits coming in that span. Ollin Kulaga started for the Scarlets and went 6.2 innings, allowing eight hits and one earned run. Tyler Beaver threw a complete game for the Senators, giving up three runs on five hits with four strikeouts. The Scarlets opened the scoring in the sixth, with Oliver Prill singling and advancing on passed balls before Michael Brew brought him in with a sacrifice fly. They kept the momentum in the seventh, as Cody Collis singled and scored on a Senators error, and Bridger Leland added another with sharp baserunning. After Kulaga recorded two quick outs in the seventh, a single and two walks forced a pitching change. Howie Martin entered and allowed one run on a hit-by-pitch before getting the final out on a grounder and the 3-1 victory.

Missoula Mavericks 10, Billings Royals 9 - Mavericks Outlast Royals in 19-Run Epic

Game 13 was a high-scoring affair, with nineteen runs scored between the Billings Royals and the Missoula Mavericks. The Royals looked hot to start, with a trio of singles jumping off the bats and scoring two in the first. They continued to roll into the second, scoring five on five hits. The Mavericks were able to tighten the reins, scoring two of their own thanks to a Colter Nicolarsen triple with two outs. They continued to claw back, with an Owen Felton single driving in a run to start the third, and a sacrifice fly making it 7-4 before a lightning delay. The Mavericks went on a run in the fifth, scoring four on a double pair of singles and doubles, giving them the lead 8-7. The Royals tied it in the sixth and then took the lead in the seventh thanks to a Paxton Fitch RBI, leaving the Mavericks down 9-8 with three outs left. A single and a pair of errors tied the game, but the Royals put the pressure on as they got the second out at home, stopping the run. With the bases loaded and the game on the line, Kaden Thennis drew a walk for Missoula, giving them the win and sending them to the championship.

Sunday: Champions Crowned

Missoula Mavericks 10, Billings Scarlets 0 - Scarlets Silenced as Mavericks Punch Ticket to Regionals

After a close game Saturday, the Missoula Mavericks weren’t leaving anything to chance, one game away from a regional berth. They jumped out to a three-run lead in the first, with Stellan Ridley starting the day with a sacrifice fly. Ridley brought home two with a home run to right to start the third, and he continued to have a big day as he drove in two more with a single to left in the fourth. Ridley finished with three at-bats, scoring twice himself and driving in five. The Scarlets only managed three hits on the day, with Schuyler Fairchild earning himself five strikeouts in six innings and only one walk. The Scarlets fought hard through the sixth, but back-to-back hit-by-pitches gave Carter Taylor the walk-off RBI as the Mavericks knocked off the Scarlets 10-0 to win the state title, and a spot at the Regional.

On to Regionals: Montana’s Shot at a Return to the World Series

The Missoula Mavericks will head into Billings for the next round, as they head to the 2025 Northwest Regional Tournament at Dehler Park. The Mavericks will play the Colorado champion, the Fort Collins Lambkins, at 4:00 p.m. The host also gets a bid at the Regional, meaning the Billings Royals will play the last game of the evening against the Idaho Falls Bandits on Wednesday, scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. after the opening ceremonies. The Billings Scarlets made it to the American Legion World Series last year, and Montana will hope to send another team to Shelby, North Carolina, this year.