North Stars finally get their season going

Even though the results were mixed for the Havre North Stars American Legion baseball team against the Medicine Hat Majestics, after having their season-opening game delayed several times, it had to feel good just to get out on the field.

In a doubleheader of five-inning games Sunday at Legion Field, the North Stars earned a 1-0 victory over Medicine Hat, but failed to complete the sweep and lost the second game by the score of 7-4 in extra innings.

“I was really pleased, especially for it being the first game,” North Stars head coach Dick Fuzesy said. “I thought our defense was solid. The sticks looked pretty good, and I thought we got some good pitching. Carp (Dylan Carpenter) threw a great game.”

Carpenter, Havre’s top pitcher from a season ago, picked up where he left off from last year, limiting Medicine Hat to just one hit in a five-inning, complete-game shutout. He actually had a no-hitter going, until it was broken up in the fifth inning.

Yet, while Carpenter was dominating on the mound, the North Stars were having difficulty producing runs of their own, at least until the bottom of the fourth inning. It all started when second baseman Trey Murphy earned a timely walk, after fouling off pitch after pitch in an epic at-bat that lasted 15 pitches.

Eventually, Murphy worked his way on base. With a runner on, Havre took advantage and following a single by Jeff Miller, the North Stars grabbed a 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Carpenter allowed his only hit of the game, but got the three outs needed to wrap up the win.

In the second game, the North Stars sent Brenden Danielson to the bump and despite a solid start, the Majestics were able to pile up four runs in the top of the third inning, which ended his outing prematurely.

Down 4-0, the North Stars finally got their bats going and answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third as Carpenter knocked in a run with an RBI single. Murphy also managed to get a run in on a ground out, which made the score 4-2.

After Brenden Garden held the Majestics scoreless in the top of the fourth, Jerod Boles roped a base hit and eventually scored on a passed ball to get Havre within one at 4-3. Later in the inning, Miller tied the game with a base knock and suddenly it was 4-4.

Despite having runners on the corners in the bottom of the fifth, the North Stars failed to get the winning run home, which later proved to be costly. After escaping the fifth inning, Medicine Hat scored three runs to go ahead 7-4. Havre tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth, but it wasn’t meant to be and the Majestics held on for the three-run victory.

“After we got that first win, we wanted to give some of the younger guys a chance to play in the second game,” Fuzesy said. “It was great for them to get some experience, and they did a great job. Ethan Roberts did well, and Brendan Garden did everything we asked of him today. It was great to put them in those game situations, and it was just like a competitive practice.”

Havre, which is now 1-1 on the season, will return to Legion Field Wednesday night, when they will host the Great Falls Outlaws, a Babe Ruth All-Star team. It will be a nine-inning game. The first pitch will go out at 6 p.m.