POCATELLO – Butte spilled out of the dugout like moths to light, swarming Eyston Lakkala with a champion’s fervor and a promoter’s exuberance. The Miners rushed the field in euphoria, 17-16 victors over Marsh Valley in the most improbable way.

Lakkala was the final batter of the game, hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. He strutted to first as the hero of the afternoon for merely standing there. And, really, that’s all Butte needed to do. They stood on the diamond Saturday afternoon and kept playing, kept the line moving, kept waiting for Marsh Valley to make mistakes.

Eventually, the M.V. miscues piled up and the Butte batting order kept flipping. All the sudden, questions about if the championship game has a run rule (it doesn’t) turned to a stadium-wide confusion at what was occurring.

Marsh Valley was Goliath all afternoon, stomping on their counterparts because of stellar pitching from lengthy left-hander Stanton Howell and power that seemed to shrink Halliwell Field into a little-league park. The Eagles kept pounding the fence with lasers, kept getting on base and kept scoring.

They recorded 14 hits against Butte, including a pair of triples from Howell, and scored at least two runs in each of the final four innings.

Heading to the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles led 14-3. The setting sun shadowed Halliwell and shadowed any real doubts about the outcome.

Then Marsh Valley pulled almost all of its starters.

“Yeah, I saw that. Well, they had a (11-run) lead. I’ve been there, too, and pulled my starters,” Butte coach Jeff LeProwse said. “Their starting pitcher (Howell), hats off to that guy. He can throw. He was good. Once he came out of the game, we had a chance.”

The sixth started in the most unceremonious way. Butte’s first three batters resulted in two outs. From there, pandemonium ensued.

Error. Single. Single. Single. Double. Double. Single. An 11-run deficit shrank to just a pair.

“It was like, ‘We might have a chance there,’” LeProwse said. “It just got fun.”

Marsh Valley scored two runs in the seventh, which seemed to hamper any thoughts of a Butte fairy tale. The Eagles needed three outs to avoid four runs. Problem was, their starters were sitting in the dugout and their pitching options were limited.

Butte drew two walks to start the inning. Then the Miners notched three singles. Eventually, the bases were loaded with two outs in a tie game and a curveball plunked Lakkala in the shoulder.

“It’s unbelievable,” LeProwse said. “I’ve been on the other side sometimes and it really sucks.”

It does, and the Marsh Valley players, coaches and parents didn’t take kindly to how Butte celebrated.

Butte and Marsh Valley players had to be separated in the wake of the celebration, which stemmed from Butte players bringing a small toy crowbar on to the field, creating some heated disputes between Marsh Valley coaches and Butte parents postgame.

“We’re the Miners and the kids have this crowbar with our logo on it, and they brought it out to celebrate, which, it should have never left the dugout,” LeProwse said. “It was stupid on our part.”

BUTTE 17, MARSH VALLEY 16

Marsh Valley 030 236 2 — 16 19 4

Butte 010 119 5 — 17 15 3

Marsh Valley — LP: Brayden Kingston. 3B: Stanton Howell 3, Peyton Howe, Dillon Driessan. 2B: Stanton Howell.

Butte — WP: Hunter Hotalen. 2B: Kian O’Neill, Coyt Stajcar, Hunter Hotalen.