HHS softball looking to punch another ticket to state

The Havre High softball team has gotten accustomed to playing at the Class A state tournament in recent years, and this weekend, the Blue Ponies will get a chance to punch their ticket for another season.

After a 7-7-1 record in the regular season and a 3-5 mark in Central A conference play, the season for the Ponies comes down to this weekend in Livingston, where the divisional tournament will be held Friday and Saturday. The Ponies will play their first game Friday against Lewistown at noon.

"That's really been our goal all year," HHS head coach Whitney McNally said. "We want to get to state and that would be really neat for this group of girls. I started coaching here when they were freshmen and we have made it each year, so it would be nice to do it again."

While Havre plays Lewistown Friday at noon, the tournament starts Friday morning, with Browning and Livingston going head-to-head. The winner of that game will face Belgrade, the top overall seed, at 2 p.m.

The opening game for Havre against Lewistown isn't make or break, especially with it being a double-elimination tournament, but make no mistake, it's important. The winner of that game will finish no worse than third. That means a win over the Eagles, would clinch a spot at state for HHS.

During the season, Havre played and lost to Lewistown on two separate occasions. The first meeting in Lewistown went to extra innings, but the Eagles still won the game 5-4. When the two rivals met in Havre later in the season, Lewistown rolled 14-4. Jayceyln Hassa was the starting pitcher for Havre in both games, but heading into Friday, McNally said she hasn't determined who will start.

"I am not sure yet," McNally said. "I know that they are used to Jaycelyn and they have seen her before this season, so pitching (Alex Barkus) and showing them something different might be good. But I am still deciding."

The decision is an important one. Depending on how the tournament goes, McNally will need to worry about who will pitch the two or three other games in the tournament, which is also a consideration. If Havre beats Lewistown, they will play the winner of Belgrade and Browning or Livingston to reach the championship game.

However, if the Ponies lose to Lewistown, then they would need to turn around and win back-to-back games Friday to lock up a spot at the state tournament, which will be May 25-27 in Sidney.

"It's anybody's game really," McNally said. "I mean that's how it is all the time. It just really depends on which teams show up that day. Hopefully it will be our time,"

HHS will certainly need a strong outing from whoever starts out of Hassa and Alex Barkus. But Havre will need more than good pitching to upset Lewistown, it will need some timely hitting as well.

In the first two meetings against Lewistown, Havre managed four runs in each. In the game at home, the Ponies frequently left runners on base, something they are hoping to avoid this time.

One thing that gives Havre hope is the recent play of Jacey McDonald, who has three home runs in her last five games. McDonald has hit the ball well all year, but now she is also driving in runs. She is getting the opportunity to do that, thanks in part to the batters in front of her, such as Janae Boles, Nicole Parsons and Barkus, who have each gotten on base consistently.

Further down in the lineup, Madison Tommerup has been a hitting machine lately and just last weekend, shortstop Camryn Huston found her groove thanks to a three-run home run. Other girls that will contribute for Havre are Tracyn LaBuda, Lauren Kato, Sam Oliver, Madi Shennum and Kate Compton.

"We have been hitting the ball really well lately," McNally said. "The girls have really been working hard and hopefully, we can continue that this weekend."

If Havre loses, they will play the loser of Browning-Livingston at 4 p.m. Friday and if they win there, they would play the loser of Belgrade and the winner of the play-in game. If HHS lost its first game, but won the next two, it would go to state and play again Saturday at 1 p.m., wth a berth in the championship game on the line.

The first pitch Friday against Lewistown go out at 12 p.m. The championship game is set for 3 p.m. If another game is needed, since the tournament is double elimination, it will be Saturday at 5 p.m.