Ponies look to keep rolling at home

The Havre High softball team might be sitting at 1-3 in the Central A conference, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Blue Ponies are in a bad position. In fact, thanks to a recent win over Lewistown, they are in a better position than they have been in years.

Of course, the Central A conference is not what it used to be. With the loss of Browning, the league has shrunk down to four teams in softball. And even with all the teams playing two games against each other, it means there are only six conference games throughout the season. So far, Havre is 1-3 in those games, but with a doubleheader set for Saturday against Livingston, the Ponies have a chance to even up their record at 3-3. The first pitch of the first game will go out at 1 p.m., at Sixth Avenue Memorial Field.

In terms of Livingston, the Ponies have generally been above the Rangers in the Central A pecking order. The Ponies swept the Rangers a season ago en route to the Class A state tournament and will need to beat out Livingston again if they want to get back.

State tournament berths will be decided down the road at the Central A Divisional tournament, which will be in Havre May 19. However, the games leading up to that will determine seeding and that's where HHS could make some headway. After splitting with Lewistown, if Havre can win out, it's possible the Ponies could finish as the No. 2 seed. Yet, it will take a sweep of Livingston to do so.

One of the big keys for Havre in the win over Lewistown was the performance of starting pitcher Alex Barkus. For the most part, when Barkus has been on the mound this season, the Ponies have found a way to win or at least had a chance, so Barkus should get the ball for at least one of the contests Saturday.

"I just really try to focus on our three-second rule," Barkus said. "We try to give ourselves three seconds after the last pitch before we got the next batter. And after that, you just have to forget what happened before that and that has really helped me."

In addition to having Barkus on the mound, Havre has a strong defense behind her. The Ponies have had some errors this season, but they have done a good job of limiting them and that's thanks in large part to an infield that includes Lauren Kato at third, Sam Oliver at shortstop, Peyton Brown at second base and Camryn Huston at first. Kinzee Peterson, the catcher, has also been the team's top offensive threat in addition to doing a solid job behind the plate. Peterson belted a three-run home run in the win over Lewistown. She also had five hits in a win earlier this season over Laurel.

While Peterson has been the top threat in the Havre lineup, she is far from the only one. Freshman Sydney Wilting, who plays outfield, has done a nice job of getting on base consistently and Oliver has also come up with some timely hits. Boles and Brown have both provided a spark early in the batting order. But others such as Jera Verploegen, Kato and even Barkus are solid contributors at the plate.

After taking on Livingston, the Ponies will have a busy week ahead of themselves as they will take on Glasgow Monday, before hosting the Havre Invitational next Saturday. Then HHS will compete in the Butte Central Invite a week before hosting the Central A Divisional tournament. Havre played in Glasgow Thursday afternoon.