BILLINGS — The Green River Knights experienced a little bit of everything during their trip to the Buffalo Wild Wings Tournament, opening the week with a dramatic comeback victory before closing with an emphatic shutout win to finish 2-3 against a challenging field that included teams from Montana, Canada and Wyoming.
Green River’s most memorable moment came Thursday, when the Knights erased a six-run deficit to stun the Fort Macleod Royals from Canada 10-9 in walk-off fashion.
Trailing 9-3 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, the Knights mounted a furious rally aided by aggressive baserunning and defensive miscues by the Royals. Green River pushed across seven runs in the inning, with Brylan Ginestar delivering the game-winning fielder’s choice to complete the comeback.
The Knights had taken early leads in the first and second innings before the Royals erupted for eight runs in the fourth to seize control. Green River responded by stealing 11 bases and keeping pressure on the defense throughout the contest.
Oliver Akin led the offense with two hits, while he and Manuel Munoz each drove in two runs. Munoz also tossed a scoreless inning in relief to help secure the victory after Kanon Bartlett started on the mound.
The win gave Green River a strong start to tournament play, but the Knights were unable to maintain that momentum Friday.
Against the Billings Cardinals, Green River briefly grabbed a 3-2 lead in the second inning after RBI efforts from Davy Puckett and Sam Dockter. However, the Cardinals reclaimed the advantage with a three-run fifth inning and pulled away for a 10-3 victory.
Manuel Munoz and Brylan Ginestar each collected two hits for the Knights, while Landon Smart swiped three bases.
Later Friday, Green River jumped out to an early 5-0 lead against Lethbridge, the second Canadian team they faced, before watching the Miners rally for a 14-9 win.
The Knights scored four runs in the first inning behind contributions from Aiden Mandros, Korbin Nielson and Puckett, but Lethbridge answered with seven runs in the second and eventually pulled away late.
Landon Smart led Green River with two hits, while the Knights continued their aggressive approach on the bases, stealing nine bags in the contest.
Saturday brought another challenge against Sheridan, as the Jets handed Green River a 6-1 loss.
Sheridan broke the game open with a five-run second inning, highlighted by Blake Ligocki’s two-run double and Drake Martinson’s two-run single. Manuel Munoz provided four innings of solid relief work, allowing just one run, while Corwin Paoli recorded the Knights’ lone hit.
Green River closed the tournament on a high note Sunday with an 11-0 victory over Lovell.
The Knights wasted little time taking control, erupting for seven runs in the first inning. Landon Smart’s two-run single, Corwin Paoli’s two-run double and Oliver Akin’s RBI double highlighted the outburst.
Aiden Mandros was dominant on the mound, allowing just two hits over four scoreless innings while striking out three without issuing a walk. Kanon Bartlett added a scoreless inning of relief, striking out three.
Green River finished with 11 hits in the finale. Akin led the charge from the leadoff spot with three hits, while Smart drove in three runs and Sam Dockter added two hits. The Knights also turned three double plays and stole seven bases in the victory.
The tournament showcased both the strengths and growing pains of a Green River squad still searching for consistency. The Knights displayed an ability to manufacture runs, pressure opponents on the basepaths and rally from deficits, but also struggled at times to hold leads against quality competition.
By the week’s end, Green River left Billings with momentum after the dominant performance against Lovell and the confidence gained from one of the season’s most dramatic victories in Thursday’s walk-off comeback.
