Butte advances to State AA baseball tournament after holding off Flathead rally
Chase Lubick’s pitching and late-inning capitalisation on errors secure the win for Butte, ending Flathead’s season in the playoff round.
Butte has secured a place in the State AA baseball tournament after defeating Flathead 5-4 on Friday afternoon. The victory was decisive for the higher-seeded Bulldogs, who required only one win to advance, whereas the lower-seeded Flathead Braves needed two consecutive victories to progress. Butte, who will host the State AA tournament, improved their record to 8-9, while Flathead’s season concluded with a 7-14 record.
The Bulldogs established an early advantage, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning following a passed ball that scored two runs. They extended their margin to 4-1 in the third inning when Kodye Kjersten drew a bases-loaded walk. Despite the deficit, Flathead remained competitive behind the performance of pitcher Eli Coopman, who pitched six innings, allowed one earned run on a single hit, and struck out seven batters. However, Coopman also walked five batters and hit three, contributing to the pressure on the Butte defence.
Flathead began to close the gap in the sixth inning with a single run, setting the stage for a dramatic seventh-inning rally. The Braves tied the game at 4-4 after Dillon Wink recorded an RBI double and Hunter Fann hit a two-run double into the gap. The momentum shifted in the bottom of the seventh when Butte scored the winning run without recording a hit. Cole Solomon drew a walk, allowing courtesy runner Troy Samson to advance on a wild pitch, and Samson subsequently scored on another wild pitch.
Chase Lubick earned the win for Butte, pitching 6 1/3 innings and striking out seven batters. Tegan Duffy recorded the only hit for the Bulldogs in the game. Flathead’s offensive output, while limited in hits, included contributions from Dillon Wink, Hunter Fann, and others, but ultimately fell short of overcoming the late-game defensive errors.
The result confirms Butte’s progression to the State AA tournament, where they will face further challenges as the host. Flathead’s elimination highlights the high stakes of the playoff structure, where the lower-seeded team must overcome significant momentum and scoring deficits to advance.
