Big week for Pony fastpitch

After earning the first win of the season on Monday, the Havre High softball program continues to work nonstop towards its goal of a successful 2013.

The next source of competition for th

Havre High's Harley Boucher, left makes a great play at first base during the Blue Ponies' home debut against Conrad on Monday afternoon. The Ponies are back at home Thursday at 4 p.m. to take on the Class B Conrad Cowgirls. HHS also travels to a tournament in Belgrade on Saturday for games against Polson and Hardin.

e Central A Blue Ponies (1-0) will come from a home game on Thursday and another road jamboree on Saturday. On Thursday, the Ponies will host the non-conference Class B Conrad Cowgirls for one varsity game. The Ponies and Cowgirls will play at 4 p.m. at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field in Havre. And on Saturday, the Ponies will return to the road, facing two more non-conference opponents in Belgrade. HHS will face the Polson Pirates at 3 p.m., followed by the Hardin Bulldogs at 4 p.m.

The Ponies are coming off of a well fought win over Class B Glasgow on Monday, a win that took them nine innings to claim. But the Ponies are expecting the same kind of fight from the Cowgirls on Thursday afternoon.

"Conrad is good," Havre High head coach Danny Wirtzberger said. "And we are looking for another good game like the one we saw today (Monday versus Glasgow). They are very similar to Glasgow, they don't have the big hitters that Glasgow does, but they still show the same fundamentals on the field and they are going to give us a great game. It is going to be a great non conference game for us."

Conrad's varsity team already has a win over the Havre junior varsity this season. The two met in the opening weekend, with the Cowgirls coming away with the 3-1 win. But with a handful of games now behind HHS, the varsity squad is looking to see how they match up. Senior pitcher Morgan Fowler is the Cowgirl ace this season, and is expected to get the Thursday start. Fowler is known for throwing a lot of strikes, something the young Pony batters need to see as they continue to work on finding the holes in the defense. The Cowgirls are also led by seniors Taylor Judisch and Rachel Bokma, and junior Kaylee Taule.

But the road doesn't get any easier for the Ponies, moving from their matchup with Conrad to two more non conference matchups on Saturday in Belgrade.

Both Polson and Hardin are talented ball clubs, and the Ponies are going to have to put together two good games if they hope to bring home two more wins. But winning isn't everything quite yet, and the Blue Ponies are hoping for similar results to what they accomplished in their opening weekend at the Great Falls Jamboree. HHS is still focused on getting better, focusing on the fundamentals, and still focusing on solidifying a consistent starting lineup.

"It is the same thing," Wirtaberger said. "We are going to treat it like a glorified practice, especially because at tournaments like this, games typically end in about four innings. We just have to make sure kids get in the game and get a chance to perform."

The Pirates will await the Ponies first, and they will present the Ponies with a very tough matchup. Polson has already recorded impressive wins like their 19-2 victory over Corvallis this season. Sluggers like Heidi Rausch (had a homerun and a triple against Corvallis) will force Havre pitchers Davee McLeod and Rachel Majeres to throw their best stuff, as will Shalaina Duford, Jessica Bagnell, Jordyn Evertz and Skyla Krantz.

But Hardin is no slouch either, even after losing nine seniors over the last two seasons. The Bulldogs still have a roster packed with young ball players. Jordan Edwards and Taylor Torske are the Bulldogs' two most consistent players, but Amber Schneider, Shayna Uffelman, Darbey Pitsch, Chandale Feller, Darla Davisson, Alex Watson and Miranda Blankenship add to the talented roster. Blankenship returns for her second consecutive season as the Bulldog ace on the mound.

But with Mageres and McLeod already off to decent starts, the HHS defense could be key this weekend. The Pony bats are still working on improving, but freshman outfielder Dani Wagner has already turned heads with her performance in center field. Liz Facio is also an impressive barrier in left field, while Morgan Mazurkiewicz is a standout defender at third base and Harlee Boucher is just as impressive at first.

The Pony lineup still isn't set in stone, but they are well on their way.

Facio (left), Wagner (center), Majeres (right/pitcher), Mazurkiewicz (third), Roxanna Jensen (shortstop), Sydne Huston (second), Boucher (first), McLeod (pitcher/infield) and Paige Henderson (catcher) are expected to start again this week and on Saturday, but there is still some leeway according to coach Wirtzberger.

"This is pretty close to the solid lineup we are looking for," he said. "But it depends on the week and it depends on who we play. But I still have about three positions that are up for grabs, but everybody will get ample opportunities to prove themselves and crack that top nine or 10. But a lot of that has to do with their hitting, if a player is hitting, they will make the bus."

Thursday, the Ponies will host the Cowgirls at 4 p.m. at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field in Havre. And on Saturday, the Ponies will face Polson at 3 p.m., followed by Hardin at 4 p.m. Saturday's games will be in Belgrade.