North Stars lay it all on the line

The 2016 season has not gone exactly as planned for the Havre North Stars American Legion baseball team. Yet, in tournament baseball, anything can happen, which is exactly what Havre is hoping for this week at the Northern A District tournament.

The tournament, which starts Thursday in Great Falls, features a total of eight teams, but unlike most years, it will send just one team to the Class A state tournament, instead of two. Havre, which enters as the eighth seed following a 6-19 record in conference play, will take on top-seeded Lewistown Thursday at 4 p.m.

"It's definitely a little different," North Stars head coach Dick Fuzesy said. "I think we are all trying to figure out how we are going to manage it and what we are going to do with our pitchers. I think our mentality is just going to be, right now we are playing Lewistown and we are going to do whatever we can to win that game. We aren't going to look ahead or worry about the next game at all."

Pitching is always key to winning in baseball, but with the games shifting from seven innings to nine innings at the district tournament, getting quality production from the pitching staff becomes even more important.

"We don't want guys to think they need to have a complete-game mentality," Fuzesy said. "We think about the four-inning mark is when guys start to break down, so we are going to be looking to have our starters go about four innings or so."

One thing that makes things even tougher is that pitchers are limited to just 12 innings if they pitch three consecutive days. Yet, if a player skips a day, the innings count restarts.

Fuzesy, who said ace Dylan Carpenter (5-5, 3.87 ERA) will start against Lewistown, will likely pitch just four innings, before Jerod Boles (3-2, 2.83) will be brought on in relief.

Fuzesy said other pitchers who will likely see the mound in Great Falls, include first-year players Kennedy McKay (1-4, 5.4) and Gavin Mosbrucker 0-1 8.8), as well as Brenden Danielson (2-3, 9.13), who also plays in the outfield.

"I really like what Kennedy has been able to do," Fuzesy said. "He throws the ball well and I like him a lot. (Mosbrucker) has also done a solid job for us. He throws strikes and when he's out there, he gives us our best defense in the field."

One player who will not pitch in Great Falls is most likely Jeff Miller, who has had an All-Conference caliber season at first base. In his final season for the North Stars, Miller has just seven errors on the season and a team-high five double plays. He also leads the team with a .408 average to go along with 16 extra-base hits and 33 RBI's.

"That's one reason Jeff hasn't been pitching very much," Fuzesy said. "He's just too good at first base for us to use him as a pitcher."

Catcher Jake Sedahl has also been a key contributor for the North Stars this season with a .354 average and a team-high 36 RBIs. Sedahl is also tied for the team lead in runs scored with 35 and boasts a team-best 17 extra-base hits, including 12 doubles.

"The biggest thing for us is that we have to do the little things," Fuzesy said. "We need to make the easy plays and get runs in when we have guys on base. We have played with all of these teams, so maybe now is our time."

If the North Stars upset Lewistown, they will play the winner of Great Falls and Medicine Hat at 1 p.m. Friday. The other first-round games on Thursday feature Lethbridge taking on Fort MacLeod and Vauxhall against Tri-County.

The tournament follows a true, double-elimination format and will run through Sunday, when the championship game will be played at 2 p.m. If a second game is needed, it will be played right after.

Havre, which entered districts at the top seed a year ago, yet lost its first two games to get eliminated, is hoping to turn the tables this time around and make some waves of their own.

"We want to come in and mess up the bracket," Fuzesy said. "It hasn't been the greatest season. We have had some tough times, but I was patient with a lot of mistakes because I wanted the younger guys to learn from those mistakes for this time of the year. Last year, we were the top seed and lost, so it shows anything can happen, which is what we are hoping. It's tournament baseball, so who knows?"

All of the Northern A District Tournament action will take place at Centene Stadium in Great Falls, The top team from the Northern A will join the host Great Falls Chargers at next week's Class A state tournament.