BILLINGS — The challenge of winning two games on a Sunday to keep their season alive was not unfamiliar to the Billings Scarlets.
However, this time it was in American Legion World Series competition, where the margins for error are even smaller.
The Scarlets, champions of the Northwest Region, suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bossier City (Louisiana) and a 4-3 loss to Midland (Michigan) on Sunday at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, North Carolina. This dropped their record to 0-3 in pool play, eliminating them from qualifying for Monday’s semifinal round, thus concluding a historic journey to the ALWS.
The Scarlets’ season wraps up with a 63-16 overall record, and they hold the distinction of being the first Montana team since 1962 to qualify for the ALWS, achieved by defeating Eugene (Oregon) twice on August 11 in the regional championship games at Dehler Park.
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Kyler Northrop of the Billings Scarlets bats during their game against Midland (Mich.) at the American Legion World Series at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, N.C., on Sunday.
After losing their ALWS opener to Wilmington (Delaware) on Thursday, the Scarlets had to defeat Louisiana in their second game to stay in contention for a spot in the final four. Michigan had a 2-0 record in pool play, while Delaware was 1-1 and Louisiana was 0-1. The head-to-head tiebreaker meant that Billings could not afford another loss.
Complicating matters, there was a significant delay in the middle of the Montana-Louisiana game.
Billings played in the first two games of the day at the ALWS, with their game against Louisiana being a continuation of Saturday night’s match that was postponed midgame due to bad weather.
In a pitching duel that lasted till the end, the score was tied at 0-0 when the game resumed with one out in the top of the third inning. It remained that way until the bottom of the fifth, when Bossier City’s Hudson Brignac scored a run with a base hit.
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