Smith, Gunlock, and Johns Lead Missoula Impact to Senior Day Sweep of Flathead A’s
BONNER - Cole Smith went 5-for-6 with three triples, Dillon Gunlock drilled a key 3-RBI double to spark a rally, and Hunter Johns tossed three brilliant innings of relief to earn the win in the opener as the Missoula Impact Baseball Club swept the Flathead A’s, 22-14 and 12-8, on Saturday at Kelly Pine Field.
The Impact seniors - Gunlock, Johns, and Smith - all three-year 18U players, showed up in a big way on a festive Senior Day in front of friends, family, and a crowd of nearly a hundred fans. The gritty Gunlock, who has caught over 100 games in his Impact career, had four RBIs and delivered the key hit of the day by smoking a bases-clearing double down the left field line in the fourth inning of the nightcap, rallying Impact from a 6-3 deficit to tie the score. Johns was the difference maker in the first game, inheriting a fourth inning jam in which Flathead went ahead 13-12, and tossing three innings of stellar relief with zero earned runs allowed. Finally, Smith continued his torrid hot streak at the plate that now stands at 13 hits in his last 22 at bats, ripping triples over the right fielder’s head, to the fence in left field, and off the wall in right-center to go along with two singles. Indeed, for all three Impact seniors, it was a grand Senior Day and testament to their commitment to the program.
The future of the Impact Baseball program was also on full display. Cash Mickey, a Class of 2026 prospect, hammered two long doubles in an impressive 3-for-4 showing. Kody Evans had three hits and six RBIs with a triple, double, single, and two lineouts. Leadoff hitter Landin Ramsay set the table with three hits on the day and Class of 2026 phenom Nick Karvandi had three hits, including two more doubles. Finally, 2026 pitcher Madden Hensel threw three more excellent innings of relief. The lanky right-hander has only allowed one earned run in his last 6 and 2/3 innings.
“In our seniors final home-stand the team really came out to support them with two big wins,” said Ryan Roche, Impact Manager. “Offensively we brought the bats and produced the runs we needed to win. Everyone participated in the sweep and it was fun to watch the team play for each other.”
In the opener, Flathead jumped ahead 3-0 without the benefit of a hit in the first inning. Hard-throwing Missoula starter Caleb Hoppe struggled a bit early with his command and an error led to the three unearned runs. However, Hoppe struck out the side and left the bases loaded.
Impact answered the bell immediately in the bottom of the first. Ramsay and Smith ripped opposite field singles and Karvandi laced a two-run double to the gap on in left center. Missoula worked three walks and two hits batsmen to keep the line moving.
Smith then drilled a line drive 2-RBI triple to the wall in right field. Mickey tacked on an RBI single up the middle. By the time the dust cleared on the long inning, Missoula had batted around almost twice and scored 10 runs. Matt Doty and Ramsay both doubled to add two more runs in the third, to make it 12-3.
Hoppe sailed through three innings, allowing four hits and no earned runs to go along with eight strikeouts. However, Flathead opened the fourth with six walks off the relief corps and took advantage of an error to get back in the game. With the lead dwindling, Johns was summoned from the bullpen to a bases-loaded, no-outs jam. Johns masterfully escaped without allowing an earned run of his own, but Flathead tallied nine runs to take the lead, 13-12.
Keaton Elliott, an impressive Class of 2028 player, ripped a line drive single to left-center to start a rally for Impact in the fourth inning. Gunlock singled to left, Karvandi drilled an RBI single to right, and Evans mashed the hit of the game, a smoking 2-RBI double to the fence in right-center. Mickey followed with a long RBI double to the fence in left field to open the margin to 17-13.
With Johns dealing, Missoula piled on in the fifth. After several walks and errors, Evans hammered a three-run triple to right-center to tie an Impact record with five RBIs in a game. Missoula made it a run-rule victory in the sixth on an RBI single by Elliott and a sharp walk-off RBI single by Hensel.
In the nightcap, Impact jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a ringing double by Karvandi. However, Flathead starter Rowan Burow settled in and kept the A’s in the game. Singles by Burow, Ryan Conklin, Calvin Eisenbarth, and Ryan Finn gave Flathead a 4-3 lead in the third inning. Flathead extended the lead to 6-3 in the fourth thanks to a double by Kaleb Culver and RBI single by Regge Sapa.
The resilient Impact club, as they did all day, responded. With two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the fourth, Johns reached on an error, Ramsay singled, and Smith laced a single to right-center to load the bases. With two strikes, Gunlock delivered the hit of the day, cracking a three-run double down the left field line to tie the score. Karvandi floated an RBI double to shallow right, Evans ripped an RBI single, and Hall made it 10-6 with a line drive RBI single to left.
Smith tacked on an insurance run in the fifth by crushing a towering triple off the fence in right center. Doty singled in the sixth inning and scored on an RBI single by Joey Supola.
The difference-maker in the nightcap was Hensel. He tossed 3 and 2/3 innings of two-hit ball with four strikeouts and only one earned run allowed to get the win.
Impact (18-12) plays in the GSL 18U Washington State Championships this week in Seattle. The action kicks off Friday at 11:00 PST with a matchup against Washington Awards Elite.