LEWISTON, Idaho--The Bozeman Bucks Class AA Montana American Legion Baseball champions lost to Idaho Falls, Idaho, in extra innings in the championship game of the Northwest Regional Tournament.

Idaho Falls, which had to win a loser-out semifinal earlier in the day, eventually won the World Series in Shelby, N.C.

LEWISTON, Idaho--The Bozeman Bucks Class AA American Legion Baseball program beat Medford, Ore., in the undefeated semifinal of the 2019 ALB Northwest Regional Tournament to advance to the championship game.

The winner of the chipper advances to the World Series in Shelby, N.C.

However, Idaho Falls, Idaho, beat Bozeman in potential loser-out action, then beat Medford, Ore., in the loser-out semifinal game, and then, eventually beat Bozeman in the championship to advance to the World Series.

IDAHO FALLS ENDED UP REPRESENTING THE NORTHWEST REGION WELL BY WINNING THE WORLD SERIES!

BILLINGS--The Bozeman Bucks beat the host Billings Royals to win their second state title since 2007, and the postseason awards were announced.

2019 Montana-Alberta American Legion Baseball

Postseason Awards

Coach of the Year--Brent Hathaway, Missoula

Class AA All-State

Catcher--Ty Wevers, Lethbridge, and Alton Gyselman, Bozeman

1B--Andy Larson, Blgs Scarlets

2B--Ben Hubley, Bozeman

3B--Randy Stultz, Kalispell

SS--Michael Freund, Bozeman; Cal Cromwell, Great Falls

Utility IF--Tradd Richardson, Missoula

OF--Dane Fraser, Missoula; Kelher Murfitt, Bozeman; Andrew Paradise, Great Falls

P--Dann Blanchard, Blgs Royals; Hunter Williams, Bozeman; Thomas Little, Lethbridge; Dylan Chalmers, Missoula

Class AA All-Conference

C--Brenden Concepcion, Blgs Royals

1B--Brendan Schulz, Lethbridge

2B--Matt Krieger, Helena; Kalem Haney, Lethbridge

3B--Dann Blanchard, Blgs Royals

SS--Connor Drish, Kalispell

Utility IF--Connor Hunter, Blgs Royals; Hunter Kirkpatrick, Helena

OF--Ty McGurran, Helena; Brendon Hill, Missoula; Finn Snyder, Bozeman; Ryan Symmes, Kalispell

P--Levi Abbott, Lethbridge; Dane Fraser, Missoula; Cy Miller, Helena; Hunter Kirkpatrick, Helena; Ethan Keintz, Helena; Sage McMinn, Bozeman; Logan Siblerud, Kalispell; Wesley Palmer, Kalispell

BILLINGS, Mont.--The Bozeman Bucks Class AA American Legion Baseball team beat defending state champion Billings Royals, 6-1, on Wednesday, July 31, at Dehler Stadium to win the Montana-Alberta American Legion Baseball State Tournament.

Bozeman will represent MAALB at the Northwest Regional Tournament at Lewis-Clark College in Lewiston, Idaho, starting Friday, Aug. 7. A tournament championship there brings an ALB World Series berth in Shelby, N.C.

BILLINGS, Mont.--The Bozeman Bucks eliminated the Missoula Mavs, 13-5, on Tuesday in Dehler Park and the tourney host and defending state champion Billings Royals survived loser-out action by eliminating No. 4 Lethbridge, 4-3, to both advance into the 2019 Class AA Montana-Alberta American Legion Baseball State Championship game.

First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. Bozeman has not lost in the tournament, so the Royals will have to beat them twice to win the state title. If needed, the second game of the doubleheader would start about 45 minutes after the first game. 

BILLINGS--The No. 2 Bozeman Bucks Class AA American Legion Baseball team beat the defending state champion Billings Royals on Monday, July 29, to advance to the state championship game Wednesday night.

No. 1 Missoula and No. 4 Lethbridge survived loser-out games on Monday.

Bozeman will get the chance to eliminate Missoula on Tuesday, while Lethbridge and Billings face off in loser-out action.

The winners Tuesday advance to championship Wednesday. If Missoula tags a loss on Bozeman Tuesday, the true championship game will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday between Bozeman and the winner of the early game. If Bozeman beats and eliminates Missoula, the winner between Lethbridge-Billings would have to beat Bozeman twice to win the chipper. 

The state champion advances to the Northwest Regional in Lewiston, Idaho. The winner of the regional advances to the World Series in Shelby, N.C.

BILLINGS--The defending state champion Royals knocked off top-seeded Missoula, and No. 2 Bozeman beat Helena, on Sunday, July 28, in Dehler Stadium to advance to the undefeated semifinal of the Class AA MAALB State Tournament.

The No. 5 Royals beat Missoula, 3-1. Bozeman beat Helena, 8-2. They will play Monday at 7 p.m. with a berth into the state championship game on the line.

The Billings Scarlets and Lethbridge survived loser-out games to advance to Monday's action. No. 4 Lethbridge will play No. 6 Helena. The No. 6 Scarlets will play No. 1 Missoula.

Tuesday's pairings and game times can not be announced until after the undefeated semifinal game. With the top four teams left, previous opponents should not be matched up. If that can't be avoided, the most-recent matchup should be avoided. The winner of the undefeated semifinal gets the 7 p.m. game.

BILLINGS--The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, Missoula and Bozeman, won their opening round games at the 2019 Class AA Montana-Alberta American Legion Baseball State Tournament on Saturday, July 27, at Dehler Stadium.

No. 6 Helena and the No. 5 Billings Royals also won their opening games.

The Billings Royals swept Great Falls in a doubleheader to move up to No. 5, the Bozeman Bucks beat the Billings Scarlets to forge a tie for No. 1, No. 4 Lethbridge beat No. 1 Missoula, and all of the pairings for day 1 of MAALB's Class AA State Tournament were set on Monday, July 22.

With Missoula and Bozeman finished in a first-place tie with 17-7 records, the tiebreaker was won by Missoula, which beat Bozeman, 2-1, during the conference regular season to claim the No. 1 seed. No. 1 Missoula will play No. 8 Great Falls on day 1. No. 2 Bozeman will play the No. 7 Billings Scarlets.

Kalispell and Lethbridge tied for the No. 3 seed with 14-10 records, but Kalispell swept the regular-season conference games to win the higher seed. No. 3 Kalispell will play No. 6 Helena. 

No. 4 Lethbridge will play the standings-jumping and state tournament host No. 5 Billings Royals. The defending state champs host the 7 p.m. game on Saturday, July 27.

*The Missoula Mavs beat the Bozeman Bucks, 2-1, in conference games to win the No. 1 seed; Bozeman is No. 2. 

*The Kalispell Lakers swept conference games against the Lethbridge Elks to win the No. 3 seed at the state tournament; Lethbridge is No. 4.

Standings updated with all games, as of July 22, 2019. Regular season comprised of 24 conference games. Top eight teams advance to state tournament in Billings, July 27-30. 

The Great Falls Chargers finished a three-game sweep over Medicine Hat on Sunday, July 21, to break a last-place tie and secure a berth into the state tournament.

The Class AA MAALB State Tournament field of teams is set, and seeds Nos. 1-4 are locked with No. 1 Missoula, No. 2 Bozeman, and No. 3 Kalispell, and No. 4 Lethbridge because of potential tiebreakers if these teams finish tied today, Monday, July 22, in the standings after the final day of the conference regular season play.

Just one week remains in the Class AA MAALB regular season.

Most teams have around 4-6 conference games left on their regular season to determine their seedings in the state tournament, which starts Saturday, July 27, in Billings.

If the season ended today (which it doesn't), Medicine Hat would be eliminated from the postseason. But they are just one game behind No. 8 Great Falls in the standings, and three games behind the No. 7 Billings Scarlets. Both Great Falls and Medicine Hat have six games this week to determine their fates.

The No. 8 seed will probably play either No. 1 Missoula or No. 2 Bozeman. Although, No. 3 Lethbridge is only 3 1/2 games behind Missoula in the standings and has eight conference games this week.

Things are sure to change up between the Nos. 4-7 seeds this week because those four teams right now are separated by only 2 1/2 games in the standings.

The No. 1 Missoula Mavs and No. 3 Lethbridge Elks won a combined five of six games on Monday and Tuesday, July 8 and 9, against the Billings teams to distance themselves atop the MAALB Class AA standings.

Missoula (12-1) beat the Scarlets, 9-2, 11-8, and 23-7. The Scarlets (7-12) fell to five games under .500 and No. 7 in the standings.

Lethbridge (10-6) beat the Royals, 9-1 and 2-0, before the Royals took the third game, 3-0. The Royals (7-9) are two games under .500 and No. 5 in the standings.

Conference play ends on Monday, July 22.  State tournament play begins Saturday, July 27, in Billings.

The Helena Senators started July with three straight wins; the Kalispell Lakers took two of three from the Billings Scarlets; and then the Bozeman Bucks and Lakers exchanged walk-off victories before Bozeman won the third game of the series as Helena, Kalispell, and Bozeman flexed some muscles to solidify themselves into the top 6 of the Montana-Alberta American Legion Baseball Class AA standings.

Bozeman (12-4) and Missoula (9-1) are neck and neck atop the standings. Lethbridge (8-5) is third. Kalispell (10-9) is fourth. There are only two weeks left, and 42 total games, in the regular season, which ends on Monday, July 22. The state tourney begins in Billings on Saturday, July 27.

Missoula beat the Billings Royals, 7-4, Bozeman beat Helena 10-3, and Kalispell beat Medicine Hat, 13-4, on Wednesday, June 26, to supplant themselves into MAALB Class AA's top four slots in the standings at about the halfway point of the conference season.

Missoula and Bozeman are tied atop the standings at 7-1 and 9-3, respectively. Lethbridge is No. 3, one game above .500. Kalispell and the Billings Royals are tied for fourth place with 6-6 and 5-5 records, respectively.

The Missoula Mavs Class AA American Legion Baseball team swept a doubleheader from Helena on Tuesday, June 18, and the Bozeman Bucks swept a doubleheader from Great Falls on Monday, June 17, to climb atop the Montana-Alberta ALB standings.

Missoula has started the season 6-1; Bozeman is 8-3.

There is an early-season logjam for Nos. 3-8. The Billings Scarlets beat Medicine Hat on Wednesday, June 19, in 16 innings, 17-12, and are 5-5. Three other teams have four victories on the season: Lethbridge, Helena, and defending state champion Billings Royals. Kalispell and Medicine Hat each have three wins. Great Falls is 2-5.    

Due to dropping enrollment in Butte and Butte Central high schools, the Butte Miners Class AA American Legion Baseball team has moved to down to Class A.

This left Class AA Montana-Alberta ALB with nine teams. So regular season play will eliminate one team from the state tournament in Billings from July 26-30. Final regular-season standings will determine seeding into the double-elimination tourney, which sends the state champion on to the Northwest Regional Tournament in Lewiston, Idaho, from Aug. 7-11. The regional champion advances to the World Series in Shelby, N.C.

During the offseason after Butte announced it was dropping down, MAALB Class AA coaches voted 6-3 for a 3-game regular-season series against each opponent for 24 games to determine state tourney seedings. Travel rotations were based off of previous seasons' travel rotations.