Bandits win Lewiston tourney

It was a fairly light week of competition for Spokane Valley American Legion baseball teams last week, including Monday’s rain-postponements.

But the Senior League Bandits made the most of their games.

The Bandits won a tournament in Lewiston, winning four of five games for the title. And they won four league games to lead the league by two games with seven remaining.

In Lewiston, the Bandits beat Bozeman 7-3 and lost to Lewiston 2-1 on the first day, but bounced back to beat Sandpoint 17-5, Boise 8-5 and Bozeman again, 7-5 for the title.

University products J.D. Peterson had two hits against Sandpoint, and Brandon Kelley one against Bozeman during the weekend event.

Earlier in the week the Bandits had swept a pair from the Blue Devils, and on Tuesday beat the Patriots 7-6 and 11-1, improving their Senior Legion league record to 11-2. The Valley Cannons (6-1) are in second place.

In Junior Legion, Spokane Athletic Supply (Central Valley) won a pair of games to improve to 4-5 in the South Division. Eric Smith had three hits during the 5-3 and 4-3 wins over Cheney and Shadle Park. Trevor Nearing and Cameron Miner each had two-hit games.

CV is seventh in the 11-team South Division, trailing leader Kimmel Athletic (9-1 University) by 41/2 games. East Valley (4-3) and West Valley (3-4) were also idle last week.

Legion Fourth of July next

American Legion baseball teams will be involved beginning Friday in the annual Spokane Senior and Junior Fourth of July Tournaments.

The wood bat AAA tourney runs through Monday and will include just two Spokane teams. Neither the Cannons nor the Bandits will compete.

The Cannons will be in Lewiston and the Bandits will be in Kamloops for tournaments that weekend.

Teams from Idaho, Montana, Everett, Olympia, Puyallup, Wash., Trail, B.C., and El Segundo, Calif. will fill the 12-team Spokane field.

Spokane Athletic Supply-sponsored Central Valley and West Valley will be host sites for the AA tournament and are the only Valley teams involved.

Both play Friday at 8 a.m., Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The championship and the game for third and fourth will be Monday at WV beginning at 11 a.m.

Six Spokane league teams and teams from Idaho, Silverdale, Wash., Issaquah, Wash., Puyallup, and West Valley-Yakima will take the field.