Havre 10U stars play ball in Oregon

It has been a fun summer for the Havre 10U All-Star baseball team, and this weekend, it's about to get even better as the 10U All Stars head to Eugene, Oregon, for the Cal Ripken Pacific Northwest Regional tournament.

Havre, which won the Eastern Montana state title two weeks ago by knocking off the Bozeman All Stars, will compete against nine other teams from the Pacific Northwest for a shot at making the national tournament. The 10U All Stars have been placed in the National Division for group play and will battle teams such as Spokane, Black Hills, Willamette and Kennewick. The teams in the American Division are Sandy, Meridian, Lynden, Kalispell and Willamette Valley.

Havre, coached by Oscar Delarosa, features a roster that includes Matt Huse, Aaron Fuzesy, Colter Solomon, Daxton Oswalt, Brayden Kimberling, Bodhy Lassle, Kash Keller, Logan Kinsella, Tanner Delarosa, Chason Mader, Ezra Pyle, Jevin Jenkins and Teegan Solomon. The 10U All Stars play their first two games today as they will take on Black Hills at 11:30 a.m., followed by Willamette Valley at 6:15 p.m. Then, Friday, the Havre 10U All Stars will battle Spokane at 11:15 a.m. and will close out pool play against Kennewick at 3:45 p.m.

After pool play, teams will take part in a single-elimination tournament to determine the champion. The top two teams will get first-round byes. The championship game will be played Saturday.

Also, after winning the 10U State East Tournament, Montana Rep. Steve Daines honored the team with his Montanan of the Week. Below is what he read to the House of Representative.

"Mr. President, this week, I have the distinct honor of recognizing the Havre youth baseball (10U) All-Star Team.  This past weekend, the team from Havre won the Montana Cal Ripken Baseball state title for the "10 years old and under" division. 

"Despite a loss to Belgrade in their opening game of the tournament, the Havre All-Stars battled their way to the championship game, and defeated Bozeman to claim the title.  In addition to an outstanding performance on the baseball diamond, the community of Havre also served as host for the tournament.  A successful four-day youth sports state tournament is the result of hard work from the many volunteers who pitched in to make the event a great success.     

"With summer events in full swing, I would like to commend the community of Havre for their hospitality and congratulate the youngsters on the All-Star team for their accomplishment. 

"While the 10U All-Star will be in Oregon this weekend, the 15U All-Star team competed in its own state tournament last weekend in Kalispell. The Babe Ruth All Stars lost their first two games in pool play and were then knocked out in the single-elimination portion of the tournament."

Note: Havre Daily News Sports Editor George Ferguson contributed to this story.