Northstars roll through latest Canada trip

Good teams find a way to win on the road and this past weekend, the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball team made a statement about how good a team it can potentially be, winning three of four games north of the border against Medicine Hat and Vauxhall.

The Northstars opened their road trip Friday against Medicine Hat and for the second time this season, Havre swept the Knights, winning the pair of evening games 3-2 and 8-2. The Northstars followed that up by splitting with Vauxhall Sunday. Havre lost the first game 10-0 but rebounded to win the second 7-4. The Northstars are now 15-12-1 on the season. More importantly, Havre sits at 8-4 in the Northern A District with 16 games left to play.

Yet, one team that Havre won't see again, at least until the district tournament, is Medicine Hat. The Northstars, who were going for the season sweep of the Knights after taking both games or an earlier doubleheader, earned another sweep in part thanks to some stellar work on the mound from Brendan Garden and Tony Antley.

In the first game, Garden earned a complete-game victory and struck out three while allowing just one run. Medicine Hat did manage 12 hits compared to 10 for the Northstars, who got three hits from Quinn Reno. Austin Delarosa also contributed with three hits and an RBI. Havre scored two runs in the top of the first and added another in the sixth. Medicine Hat scored its only run in the bottom of the seventh but it wasn't enough to overcome a three-run deficit.

Antley got the ball in the second game and put together a strong outing that saw him put in five innings of work. He also allowed just two runs in the win. Delarosa pitched the last two innings to close things out and held the Knights scoreless. Trailing 2-1 in the sixth inning, the Northstars finally exploded in the top half of the inning, scoring seven runs. Jake Sedahl and Gavin Mosbrucker both had two hits. Sedahl also pitched in with two RBIs. Garden and Delarosa each added an RBI as well.

The Northstars were looking to continue their winning ways in Vauxhall Saturday afternoon, but in the first game, the Spurs dominated, scoring 10 runs on 11 hits, while holding the Northstars scoreless. Havre managed just two hits in the loss. Bridger Staples got the loss on the mound for Havre.

Looking to avoid the sweep at the hands of Vauxhall, the Northstars got seven solid innings from Tyrell Kjersem, who had three strikeouts in a seven-inning performance that got him the win. The Spurs finished with three fewer than the Northstars, who wound up with 12. Havre scored three runs in the third and sixth innings en route to a 7-4 victory. Antley, Sedahl and Eli Cloninger each had two hits in the win. Reno and Delarosa also added two RBIs apiece.

After its 3-1 weekend on the road, the Northstars will travel to Lewistown Tuesday for another doubleheader. The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. Havre will then host Tri-County at Legion Field. The start time is also set for 5 p.m. Those four games are part of a stretch where the Northstars will play eight Northern A games in seven games.