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
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing
02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from March 2 drawing
03-08-17-24-34, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 2 drawing
06-12-19-29, Bonus: 11
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing
21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing
28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Everyone makes mistakes, even experienced professionals; a good reminder for the rest of us to learn from those mistakes. The motion in State v. Stroup starts off well in its initial pages (no case law hallucinations), but is then followed by several pages of two other motions, which I don’t think the lawyer was planning to file, and which appear to have been AI-generated: It begins with the “Below is concise motion language you can drop into …” language quoted above.
Griffen Smith (Missoulian) reported on the story, and included the prosecutor’s motion to strike that filing, on the grounds that it violates a local rule (3(G)) requiring disclosure of the use of generative AI:
The document does not include a generative artificial intelligence disclosure as required. However, page 7 begins as follows: “Below is concise motion language you can drop into a ‘Motion to Admit Mental-Disease Evidence and for Related Instructions’ keyed to 45-6-204, 45-6-201, and 4614-102. Adjust headings/captions to your local practice.” Page 10 states “Below is a full motion you can paste into your pleading, then adjust names, dates, and styles to fit local practice.” These pages also include several apparent hyperlinks to “ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws,” “ppl-ai-fileupload.s3.amazonaws+1,” and others. The document includes what appears to be an attempt at a second case caption on page 12. It is not plausible on its face that any source other than generative AI would have created such language for a filed version of a brief….
There’s more in that filing, but here’s one passage:
While generative AI can be a useful tool for some purposes and may have greater application in the future, when used improperly, and without meaningful review, it can ultimately damage both the perception and the reality of the profession. One assumes that Mr. Stroup has had, or will at some point have, an opportunity to review the filing made on his behalf. What impression could a review of pgs. 12-19 leave upon a defendant who struggles with paranoia and delusional thinking? While AI could theoretically one day become a replacement for portions of staff of experienced attorneys, it is readily apparent that this day has not yet arrived.
The Missoulan article includes this response:
In a Wednesday interview, Office of Public Defender Division Administrator Brian Smith told the Missoulian the AI-generated language was inadvertently included in an unrelated filing. And he criticized the county attorney’s office for filing a “four-page diatribe about the dangers of AI” instead of working with the defense to correct her mistake.
“That’s not helping the client or the case,” Smith said, “and all you are doing is trying to throw a professional colleague under the bus.”
As I mentioned, the lawyer involved seems quite experienced, and ran for the Montana Public Service Commission in 2020 (getting nearly 48% of the vote) and for the House of Representatives in Montana’s first district in 2022 (getting over 46% of the vote) and in 2024 (getting over 44%). “Его пример другим наука,” Pushkin wrote in Eugene Onegin—”May his example profit others,” in the Falen translation.
Thanks to Matthew Monforton for the pointer.
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