Montana
Comeback complete: Billings Scarlets first from Montana to clinch Legion World Series berth in 62 years
BILLINGS — Under normal circumstances, Kyler Northrop would have been at freshman orientation at Washington State University preparing to begin life as a student-athlete with the Cougars’ baseball program.
But these are not normal circumstances. Not for the Scarlets, and not for American Legion baseball in Montana.
RELATED: Class A American Legion baseball Northwest Regional scores and pairings
Northrop and the Scarlets ended the state’s enduring 62-year drought by defeating Eugene, Ore., twice Sunday at Dehler Park to win the Class AA Northwest Regional championship and clinch a berth in the Legion World Series later this week in Shelby, N.C.
PHOTOS: Billings Scarlets celebrate American Legion World Series berth
They did it by winning five consecutive elimination games over the course of four days following a shutout loss in their tourney opener on Wednesday.
Greg Rachac / MTN Sports
“If you had told me that this was going to happen after that first game, I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” Northrop, the Scarlets’ standout shortstop, said afterward. “But I think the thought process going into the rest of the week was that this might be our last time wearing the jersey, the last time playing with this group.
“And so I think we all just kind of had the mentality that we were going to come out and have fun and play loose and just cherish these last moments. That really got us going, and we just carried the momentum all the way through.”
Greg Rachac / MTN Sports
The last Montana Legion team to win the Region 7 title and make a World Series appearance was Post #4 from Billings in 1962, which was the last of four trips the program made to nationals beginning in 1958. Post #4 lost in the Series championship game in 1960.
But you can call the Scarlets drought-busters now, after they beat Eugene 5-4 in nine innings in the early game Sunday and followed with a 7-0 shutout win to clinch the tournament title in Game 2.
They’ll now represent Montana on the biggest Legion stage beginning Thursday at Keeter Stadium in Shelby.
For Adam Hust — head coach of the Scarlets for the past 18 seasons and a member of the program for a total of 27 — Sunday’s regional championship was an emotional step on the ladder of all the years he’s spent coaching and instructing players among this particular group.
“When we got this (regional) bid, you know, months and months ago, I had a feeling something great was going to happen,” Hust said. “I’ve been with these guys, some of them, since they were 8, 9 years old. And now that they’re 17, 18 19, I knew it was coming and I had a great feeling.
Greg Rachac / MTN Sports
“But it’s a hard game. It’s a hard game, and luckily we played the best as anybody this weekend. We’re going to soak it in, we’re going to enjoy every single bit of it. Holy cow, I can’t wait. I can’t wait.”
When Hust says his team played the best of anyone in the tournament, it’s not hyperbole. The Scarlets did lose their opener — a 1-0 defeat to Fort Collins, Colo. — but were rock-solid throughout, especially in the field.
Defensively, the Scarlets did not commit an error in six games and across 44 innings. Their team ERA was a meager 1.64. In particular, Jakob Wilcox was lights out on Sunday, throwing 7 2/3 shutout innings combined in both games.
Third baseman Nate McDonald was named tournament MVP after hitting over .400 for the tournament, but he was not alone. On Sunday, timely hits from others like Cody Collis, Nolan Berkram, Chase Wise and Wilcox proved crucial in key moments.
“I’m so happy for these kids,” Hust said. “I’m just elated. It’s all about them. It’s always been about them, and all the guys that have played in this program. Everybody has been a part of this. This is absolutely amazing.”
Northrop, meanwhile, was grateful to have the blessing of Washington State to compete at the regional tournament. Now, with the start of the Legion World Series looming on Thursday, Northrop anticipates having another conversation with his people in the Palouse.
“I’ll have to call them about being gone for another week,” he said with a laugh. “But my mentality all week has been that every win is another day I don’t have to do my own laundry.”
2024 Class AA Northwest Regional tournament
at Pirtz Field and Dehler Park, Billings
Wednesday, Aug. 7
Game 1: Eugene, Ore., 3, Cheyenne, Wyo., 2
Game 2: Anchorage, Alaska, 8, Pocatello, Idaho, 5
Game 3: Bellevue, Wash., 3, Missoula 0
Game 4: Fort Collins, Colo., 1, Billings Scarlets 0
Thursday, Aug. 8
Game 5: Cheyenne, Wyo., 8, Missoula 2, loser out
Game 6: Billings Scarlets 8, Pocatello, Idaho, 0, loser out
Game 7: Eugene, Ore., 9, Bellevue, Wash., 4, second round
Game 8: Anchorage, Alaska, 6, Fort Collins, Colo., 3, second round
Friday, Aug. 9
Game 9: Billings Scarlets 7, Bellevue, Wash., 2, loser out
Game 10: Fort Collins, Colo., 8, Cheyenne, Wyo., 5, loser out
Game 11: Eugene, Ore., 17, Anchorage, Alaska, 7, undefeated semifinal
Saturday, Aug. 10
Game 12: Billings Scarlets 12, Anchorage, Alaska, 1, loser out
Game 13: Eugene, Ore., 2, Fort Collins, Colo., 1 (8 innings), loser out
Sunday, Aug. 11
Game 14: Billings Scarlets 5, Eugene, Ore., 4 (9 innings), first championship
Game 15: Billings Scarlets 7, Eugene, Ore., 0, second championship
Montana
Montana State doctoral student awarded national research service grant for gut microbiome, arsenic research
MISSOULA — Four out of five members of Montana’s Public Service Commission were in a federal courtroom in Missoula Thursday morning, as the PSC’s former president challenges the disciplinary action taken against him earlier this year. Now, newly released documents are shedding more light on to what led up to this point.
(Watch the video for a closer look at the case.)
New documents shed light Montana PSC dispute
Commissioner Brad Molnar has sued President Jeff Welborn, Vice President Jennifer Fielder and Commissioner Annie Bukacek – the three PSC members who voted in May to require him to work remotely, after an investigation into complaints about his workplace conduct. Molnar has claimed he is being unfairly punished for constitutionally protected speech, and he asked Senior U.S District Judge Donald Molloy to allow him to return to the PSC offices.
Matthew Monforton, Molnar’s attorney, told the judge that barring Molnar from the building was limiting his ability to do his job.
“He has not been officially kicked out of office, but his voice has clearly been diminished,” said Monforton.
But Natasha Jones, an attorney representing the other three commissioners, said the findings were about behavior, not just speech, and that the PSC’s action was a reasonable response.
“These are serious concerns about a pattern of conduct that has made employees quit,” she said.
Jonathon Ambarian
On Tuesday, Molloy ordered the release of redacted versions of two full investigative reports into Molnar’s conduct – more than 100 pages of documents. Monforton had moved for the full reports to be made public, and Molloy ruled attorneys for the other PSC members hadn’t shown a compelling reason to keep the documents under seal as long as the names of people involved in the investigation were obscured.
While the names remained redacted in the investigation reports, the attorneys for Welborn, Fielder and Bukacek also filed additional documents – including a public declaration from Bukacek and from former PSC executive director Alana Lake, providing information about their allegations against Molnar.
The two reports, from an outside investigator, cover Molnar’s alleged actions over two periods: the first from February to August 2025, and the second from August to October 2025. The investigation began after the first formal complaint, filed by Bukacek in May 2025 – though the reports say employees had been bringing up concerns about Molnar’s behavior informally for several months prior.
Bukacek’s complaint claimed Molnar had repeatedly made what she called “sexualized and demeaning comments.” The examples she cited included saying the PSC should replace “Taco Tuesdays” with “Topless Tuesdays,” reminiscing about watching girls in bikinis as a teenager, and commenting about the beauty of women in areas of China who didn’t get “old and wrinkly.”
In her declaration, Bukacek also claimed Molnar had “maliciously disseminated false information” about her and “engaged in behavior that was dismissive, derisive and otherwise abusive.”
“My primary concern now is not for my safety nor my feelings, but for the rest of the staff who may not have the temperament to speak up or may feel too intimidated to speak up given concerns over job security,” Bukacek said in her declaration.
MTN News
The investigators determined Molnar had violated the PSC’s code of conduct by making comments of a sexual nature, and that it appeared his behavior had continued for some time after he was warned about it. They also found he had behaved unprofessionally and in a belittling manner toward Bukacek, though they said Bukacek herself had at times used “language that could be considered inappropriate” in emails to staff or other commissioners. Bukacek told MTN she “readily self corrected” any behaviors that were brought to her attention.
The investigation also found a violation in connection with a complaint from a PSC staff member, who said he “felt bullied” by Molnar when the commissioner sent an email complaining about his team not being “people with competence.”
However, much of the first report and the entire second report was focused on conduct after the initial complaints, when Molnar was accused of retaliating against people who participated in the investigation. Lake said in her declaration that she saw “an immediate and significant change in his behavior toward staff involved in the process.” She claimed he said he would use an attorney and private investigator to go after people who filed complaints, and she accused him of publicly criticizing her in interviews and removing her job responsibilities because of her handling of the investigation.
Lake said Molnar’s actions led to “declining morale within the agency,” undermined staff members’ ability to do their jobs and damaged her reputation. She said that led her to resign as executive director.
“I believe no employee should be forced to choose between reporting misconduct and protecting their career, reputation, or personal well-being,” she said in her declaration.
Lake has since become Helena city manager.
Jonathon Ambarian
The report said there was evidence to show Molnar had retaliated, including by “making disparaging statements about investigation participants” including Lake, by sending an email warning he could file complaints of his own against people involved, and by taking other actions investigators said could dissuade employees from reporting behavior in the future.
Monforton said during Thursday’s hearing that the initial comments Bukacek complained about were jokes Molnar had admitted were inappropriate, that he regretted saying them, and that he hasn’t made any similar comments in about a year. But he argued the vast majority of the findings against Molnar were about retaliation – and that those were primarily based on speech that the other commissioners don’t have the right to interfere with.
Monforton said it’s unreasonable to punish Molnar for what he said in the July news conference where he announced he was under investigation, in interviews with the media or in commission meetings. He said Molnar’s conduct doesn’t rise to the level of actual retaliation.
“This is an elected official, engaging in speech in his forum,” Monforton said.
He said Molnar may have made harsh comments toward staff, but that he had the right to raise objections about the way the agency does business.
Jonathon Ambarian
Monforton also argued the retaliation claims no longer justify keeping Molnar out of the office, since Welborn, Fielder and Bukacek voted to remove him as president in October and he no longer has the authority he’s accused of misusing. He said there haven’t been further complaints about his behavior since that time.
“We’re not asking for the moon and stars, we’re asking for the status quo as it existed for the last seven months,” he said.
Jones said there is enough evidence to show Molnar would have been punished regardless of whether any protected speech was excluded.
“This is not about a couple of jokes,” she said.
Jones said Molnar made maliciously false statements about people like Lake, and that type of statement isn’t covered by free speech protections.
She also said Molnar’s exclusion from the PSC offices is temporary, and that the PSC will reconsider whether to let him return if he apologizes for his actions, accepts the agency’s code of conduct and undergoes training.
Molloy indicated he saw indications that there was “acrimony” on both sides of the situation, and said he was skeptical it would be resolved easily.
“It would be nice if instead of juvenile behavior, there was professional behavior,” he said.
However, the judge said there was an avenue for Molnar to pursue if he wanted to reach a resolution.
Molloy took no immediate action Thursday. He told the parties he would rule as quickly as he could.
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