North Stars split Northern District opening games

It was and up-and-down first two conference games for the Havre American Legion baseball team.

On Thursday in Conrad, the North Stars split a pair of games with the Tri-County Cardinals to open Northern District play. Havre beat the Cardinals 12-4 in game one but fell 7-4 in the nightcap.

In the first game, the North Stars got a complete-game win from Justin Jensen on the mound. Jensen also helped his own cause by driving in a pair of runs.

He also got plenty of help from his teammates. Kyle Miller smashed a home run and a double on his way to a 2-for-3 performance and three RBIs.

Brandon Smith, Brayden Grimson and Mark Vukasin were all also 3-for-4. Smith drove in two runs, while Vukasin had a pair of doubles.

"Justin Jensen started and got the complete game, battling through some tough situations to get the win," Havre head coach Steve Fanning said. "Overall we had balance throughout the lineup which we will need all season to be competitive. " Kyle and Brandon were just locked in and hitting the snot out of the ball. It was also great to see balance coming from the bottom of the lineup with Mark and Brayden."

Havre was all over the ball in game one, knocking out hit after hit. But the North Stars couldn't seem to find the same success at the plate in a 7-4 loss in game two.

Smith started the game for the North Stars and went five innings. Vukasin pitched one inning of relief, and while the Cardinals did do some more hitting than in the first game, the North Stars had their c h a n c e s but didn't deliver at the plate.

" W e didn't get the offensive production in this game," Fanning said. "Came out kind of flat, not taking advantage of the momentum from the first game."

Miller again starred at the plate for the North Stars. After a great first outing, he went 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBIs in the second game. C.J. Evans was also 2-for-2 with two runs scored, but up-and-down the lineup, the North Stars struggled in the second outing.

Still, a split on the road, especially against one of the top teams in the state a year ago, and a district favorite this season, is a positive.

Havre is now 1-1 in league play and 4-6 overall.

"Overall, in both games we didn't see the pitching that we would have lucked," Fanning said. "Granted, Justin battled to hang in and get a win, we know, and he knows that he has better stuff.

Brandon also struggled, but we are looking forward to what he is capable of. As a team we need to understand playing 14 innings, not just being satisfied with playing seven. But for the first play in nearly three weeks, we were pretty pleased.

We faced some tough pitching and hit the ball pretty well. This weekend's competition will be a good opportunity for us as a coaching staff to see these kids play in game situations. This also allows the team to get of taste of what our busy June and July schedule will look like. It's baseball season now."

The North Stars will host a pair of league opponents this weekend at Legion Field. Havre plays Lethbridge on Saturday at 6 p.m. and hosts the Great Falls Stallions on Sunday starting at 1

p. m.