North Stars go 3-1 at Deer Lodge tournament

The Havre North Stars American Legion baseball club is in its busiest stretch of the season right now. And it’s about to get even busier.

Havre returns home today to host doubleheaders against the Missoula Prospects and Great Falls Outlaws this week, and those four games come on the heels of four games over the weekend at the Deer Lodge Tournament.

The North Stars went 3-1 in pool play in Deer Lodge, and they ended the weekend with a bang. Sunday morning, Havre beat the Mission Valley Mariners (B) in a wild affair 12-8. Havre fell behind 6-1 after two innings against the Mariners but a six-run third and four more in the fourth helped the North Stars storm back for the win. Ryne Antley pitched four innings for the North Stars, while Dylan Carpenter came on in relief. Antley also went 2-for-2 at the dish with a double, while Jake Sedahl was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. David Denny also drove in three runs with a big hit, while Travis Roth was 2-for-4 with a double and Tyrell Pierce went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

The North Stars started the weekend with a rousing 10-2 win over the Missoula Pioneers Friday morning. Havre belted out 11 hits and scored in all but two innings, with Pierce going the distance on the mound, scattering just six hits and two runs, while striking out eight. At the dish, Sedahl went 3-for-3 and shortstop Jeff Miller went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. But the big blow came from veteran Chris Vukasin who blasted a homerun and drove in four runs on the afternoon. Denny, Chance Pitkanen and Michael Loftus also drove in runs in the victory.

Later Friday, Havre had a tougher outing with the Butte Muckers, but a masterpiece on the mound by Dylan Carpenter helped Havre secure a 3-0 victory. Carpenter went the distance in the shutout win, striking out eight, while allowing just two hits. Offensively, Havre managed just four hits against Butte, with Denny driving in two, including a big RBI double in the fifth inning. Spencer Ross also reached base for Havre three times in the win.

Havre’s lone loss of the tourney came Saturday afternoon, as the North Stars suffered a heartbreaker at the hands of the host Deer Lodge Wranglers. In a wild scoring game, Havre fell 8-7, but played well on all ends of the diamond.

Now, Havre is back in the friendly confines of Legion Field. The North Stars (12-9) take on the Prospects Tuesday night. Havre was set to host the Prospects both today and Tuesday, but Missoula won't make the trip down until Tuesday. Havre is back at home to host the Outlaws Thursday night before taking the weekend off.