Havre softball wins first home game

The Havre Blue Ponies and Browning Indians were determined to get a softball game in Thursday afternoon - so determined that a little rain wasn't going to stop them.

And even though the conditions weren't prime for softball or any sport for that matter, Havre and Browning dealt with the elements in the first Central A conference game of the season for both teams at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field. After the game started, though, it didn't take long to see it wasn't going to be much of a contest, as HHS steam rolled the Indians by a score of 19-0. The game was called before the end of the third inning due to a new mercy rule.

"It was good for us to get out and experience playing in this weather," HHS head coach Whitney McNally said. "It's good for our kids to get used to playing in these kinds of conditions, especially our pitchers, because that's just something you have to get used to in Montana."

In terms of pitching, Havre's two pitchers, Dani Wagner and J.J. Hassa did about as well as you can do, as they combined to throw a no-hitter over the course of three innings. Wagner, who started the game and will get credited with the win, tossed two shutout innings and struck out five, while Hassa pitched one scoreless inning and struck out all three batters she faced.

With Browning unable to generate any offense, it was easy for the Ponies to run up the score. In the bottom of the first inning, Havre jumped out to an 8-0 advantage thanks to six hits, including a home run by Wagner and two-run triple by Camryn Huston.

In the second inning, the Ponies managed just one run, which pushed their advantage to 9-0. Then, in the bottom of the third, the floodgates opened. Wagner opened the inning with a triple and then after Scout Boucher got on base, Alex Barkus brought them home with a two-run double that made the score 11-0. HHS added eight more runs in the bottom of the third before the game was called.

Barkus led the way for the Ponies in the win with three hits and four RBIs. Wagner also notched two hits in the win and added a pair of RBIs, while Huston, Hassa, Jacey McDonald and Claire Worm all added hits.

"I was really pleased with the way that we hit the ball," McNally said. "The girls did a really good job at the plate and also running the bases. We didn't get a chance to see our defense much because (Browning) didn't get a lot of hits, but we had a lot of girls that got to play, so that was good for us."

While Havre had played in eight exhibition games so far this season, Thursday's contest was the first regulation game of the season for HHS and therefore, the Ponies are now 1-0 on the season. Browning fell to 0-1 with the loss.

The two Central A rivals were slated to play again Saturday in Browning, but inclement weather has already caused the game to be canceled. A makeup date for the game will be announced at a later date. The Ponies will be in action again this Thursday in Glasgow. The first pitch will take place at 5:30 p.m.

"It's kind of hard to evaluate things after a game like this," McNally said. "But one thing I want to see is our girls being louder, especially the girls in the dugout cheering for the girls out on the field and keeping them in the game. That is something that Havre has kind of been missing the last few years and that's something that we want to keep working on."

Havre 19, Browning 0

Browning 000 - 0

Havre 8110 - 19

Browning - Spottedbear 0-1, Falcon 0-1, Kennerly 0-1, Old Chief 0-1, Stillsmoking 0-1, Padgett 0-1, Gallineaux 0-1, Pree 0-1, Madden 0-1.

Havre - Nicole Parsons 0-0, Madison Tommerup 0-2, Claire Worm 1-2, Dani Wagner 2-2, Scout Boucher 2-4, Alex Barkus 3-3, Payton Howard 0-1, Camryn Huston 1-1, Compton 1-2, Jacey MacDonald 1-2, Hassa 1-1

WP - Wagner.

LP - Spottedbear