Ponies clobber Browning on the road

Despite some lingering bad weather, the Havre High softball team and the Browning Indians managed to get a game in for the second time in three weeks. And, just like two weeks ago, the Blue Ponies rolled to an easy victory.

After knocking off Browning 19-0 in Havre, the Ponies went on the road and knocked off the Indians 29-0 Tuesday in Browning. With the win, the Ponies are now 2-3 on the season and 2-2 in Central A conference play.

Just like in their first meeting, the key to victory for the Ponies was an outstanding pitching effort and a dominating performance at the plate. Starting pitcher J.J. Hassa tossed a no-hitter over the course of three innings. She also struck out four batters en route to earning the win.

The Havre offense provided Hassa with a nice cushion after scoring seven runs in the top of the first inning to go up 7-0. HHS then added 11 runs in both the second and third innings, before closing out the game by holding Browning scoreless in the third and final inning.

There were a number of Havre players that had big days at the plate, but no one was better than Claire Worm, who went 4-for-4 in the victory for the Ponies. Dani Wagner also had a big day, belting a three-run home run, while Camryn Huston contributed to the winning effort with four RBI.

“They didn’t walk us very much, so we actually had to hit the ball and the girls did a great job,” HHS head coach Whitney McNally said. “We had a lot of girls that got hits, and we did a good job of getting the bat on the ball.”

McNally also said she was happy with her defense, which helped Hassa hold the Indians without a hit or a run for the second time this season.

“We actually changed things up quite a bit,” McNally said. “We moved people around to different positions and tried to mix things up a bit.”

The Ponies will be back in action this Saturday, when they will host the Livingston Rangers for a doubleheader at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field. The first game will start at 2 p.m. The second one will start at approximately 4 p.m.

While the Havre High softball team was able to complete its scheduled game, the Havre High track teams were supposed to compete in Malta, but were unable to after the Malta Invitational was canceled due to the inclement weather.

The Ponies will now have an extra day to prepare for their upcoming meet in Whitefish this Saturday.

Both Havre teams will be in action and the meet will get underway at 9:30 a.m.

The Havre High tennis teams also saw their duals in Great Falls canceled Tuesday. The Blue Ponies were slated to dual Butte Central, Great Falls High and CMR, but rain forced the cancellation. The matches will not be made up.

The Blue Pony tennis teams are set travel to Glendive Friday and Saturday for the Elks Invitational.