The three LeSage brothers, Ira, Austin and Quinn, played a combined total of 10 seasons for the Helena Senators, from 1997 to 2003. During that time, they were among the team's top performers, witnessed by the fact that all three brothers were selected team MVPs.

In 1998, Ira, the oldest, tied for the team batting title, with Tyson O'Connell and Jason Drean.

During his final season, at the 1999 Keith Sell Tournament, Ira and Austin helped the Senators achieve one of the biggest comebacks in team history. Down by 10 runs, 13-3, to the Westminster Gators after 5½ innings of play, Helena rallied all the way back for an 18-17 victory.

Ira went 4-for-5, belting two home runs and a double, while posting five runs batted in. His solo blast in the bottom of the ninth tied it up, 17-17. Brendon Miller than doubled off the wall, and came home with the winning run on Austin's groundball past the second baseman.

The Senators claimed the Sell championship with a 21-8 win over the Tacoma Stags. Ira was named offensive MVP of the tourney, hitting a lofty .687 (11-for-16), with 14 RBIs.

Later in the season, he lit-up the scoreboard in a 24-0 win over Bozeman, accounting for nine runs batted in. Going 3-for-5 against the Bucks, Ira belted two dingers, one a grand salame and the other a three-run job.

The 1999 Senators, who finished at 32-28, were one of the most prolific offensive squads in team history. They established a club record with a .350 team batting average, led by Jon Burnett (.453), Brendan Miller (.446) and Kyle Scarr (.402). Miller set a new team mark of 76 RBIs, with Ira LeSage tying the old standard of 70, formerly held by Paul Brinka. Ira, who batted over .350, and Miller both produced 10 home runs, and are tied in the no. 2 spot all-time behind record-holders Rob Starz and Kelly Horne, at 11 taters apiece.

Brendon Miller and Ira shared the Betty Cottingham Memorial Award as team MVPs.

In 2001, Austin LeSage literally re-wrote the team's record books, on the way to receiving his Cottingham Award.

At the state tournament in Billings that fall, Helena made a comeback to win the opening game over the Missoula Mavericks, 8-6, propelled by two Austin LeSage home runs. Trailing 6-5 in the top of the ninth and only one strike from losing, Kyle Larson was able to work a base on balls. LeSage, who finished at 3-for-5 with five RBI, then deposited a 1-0 fastball over the right field fence for a one-run lead.

Gary Cooper's subsequent homer gave Helena an insurance run. Then Chris Losett, in relief of starter Tanner Swanby, retired the Mavericks in the bottom half of the stanza to cement the deal.

In the semi-finals against the Billings Scarlets, Quinn LeSage pitched the complete game 8-4 win. Austin contributed an RBI base knock. The Senators went on to capture their first state championship in 33-years, defeating the Great Falls Stallions 7-4 in the chipper.

Helena (47-26) ended the season by winning their last 12 straight games, and 15 of their last 16.

Austin LeSage established four new offensive team marks while sporting the second-highest batting average of all time. His records of 115 hits, 78 runs batted in, 82 runs scored and 10 triples all still stand. Austin's .460 average is second only to the .467 posted by Clayton Linebarger in 1958.

Youngest brother Quinn LeSage was a member of all three of Helena's state championships, from 2001-03. For his final season, he was one of the local nine's top hitters and pitchers. On the mound, he and Tanner Swanby both tied the team record for wins, with 12 victories apiece. Quinn compiled a 12-1 record with a 1.99 earned run average, permitting only 67 hits in 90 innings pitched.

At the plate, he finished runner-up in the team batting race behind BJ Underkofler, .419 to .410. Quinn led the group in five offensive categories, including 98 hits, seven homers, 24 doubles, 77 RBIs and a .600 slugging percentage.

He ranks second on the Senator's season hit list, after brother Austin, surpassing Pat Lindeman (at no. 3 with 92 hits in 2002) and Kyle Scarr (fourth with 90 in 2000). He is also second in season RBIs and doubles, behind Austin and Paul Clark (27 in 1995), respectively.

The Senators went 55-17 overall, setting a team record for most victories in a season.

At the 2003 state play-offs at Kindrick Field, Quinn helped in a one-run win over Lethbridge in the second game, going 2-for-4, with a double, a homer and three ribbies. After a loss to Missoula and a win over the Scarlets (LeSage went 3-for-5), Quinn pitched the 6-5 complete game win over the Elk Spitz in the semis to reach the championship game.

The Senators then bested the Mavericks for their three-peat. LeSage was named the tournament's most valuable player, and was the recipient of the 2003 Betty Cottingham Memorial Award as Helena's MVP.

All three brothers went on to play college ball. Ira diamonded for one year at Willamette University (Oregon); Austin played two years for Columbia Basin Junior College (Wash.) and two years with Colorado State-Pueblo; and Quinn played two years at Columbia Basin and two years for Division I Campbell University (North Carolina) of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

CURT SYNNESS can be reached at 449-2150 or email curt52s@bresnan.net.