Bandits In The Fray For Legion Title
The Browne Mountain Bandits are finding out the seriousness of their AAA American Legion baseball title challenge.
Trailing the leader, Blue Devils, by a game, the two teams were scheduled to play three times this week and play again on Tuesday .
In addition, the Bandits are scheduled to meet co-runner-up Valley Cannons twice as part of 10 games in a 12-day schedule.
Six of those games, three each against the Blue Devils and Cannons, were to have come consecutively through Friday night.
The Cannons blanked the Bandits on two hits, 10-0, Monday for their second loss in three meetings with the team.
The loss left the two teams tied with identical 9-5 records, behind the Blue Devils, who were 9-3.
The Bandits were to have met the Blue Devils on Wednesday and then have games scheduled with the Cannons tonight and Friday.
The Blue Devils also are scheduled to play the Cannons in a Saturday doubleheader and again on July 17.
Tournament recap
The Bandits were one of three Spokane American Legion AAA teams that compiled winning records during last weekend’s Fourth of July Senior Baseball Tournament.
Montanans, however, prevailed over Idahoans in games that determined the top four placers.
The Great Falls Stallions beat the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen for first and second. The Billings Royals defeated the Post Falls Cardinals for third.
All three Spokane teams compiled 3-2 records. The Blue Devils even won 8-6 over the eventual finalists, the Lumbermen.
But the trio finished one win each away from the title game.
The Bandits missed a title spot when they lost 7-6 to eventual champion Great Falls in their second tournament game.
They got solid pitching from Sean Ruscio, who hurled a 3-0 shutout victory over El Segundo, Calif., for a 5-1 overall record. The team was led in hitting by Aaron Fryer.
The Blue Devils and the Valley Cannons tied with Billings behind the Lumbermen in their division.
The Cannons were denied a title berth when they lost 9-8 to Coeur d’Alene in their final game of the round-robin tournament. The team had won its initial three games of the tourney, including an 8-4 win over the Blue Devils.
Two other Spokane entrants, the South Side Royals and North Stars, went 2-3 and 1-4 respectively in the tournament.
Pat Hays led the Royals with seven hits, and Bill Graffis added six.
, DataTimes