Blue Ponies finish the regular season in Butte

The Havre High softball team was in Butte over the weekend at the Laverne Combo softball tournament as the Blue Ponies took part in their final competition before divisionals.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go exactly as planned for HHS, as the Ponies posted an 0-3-1 record in the two-day tournament, losing to Hamilton 5-4 and Polson 11-4 Friday. Saturday, Havre dropped its third game of the tournament, going down to Ronan 11-2 before rebounding to tie Butte Central 4-4 in the final game.

“We just can’t seem to get consistent and that’s on me,” HHS head coach Tony Vigliotti said. “There seems to be no in between. We play really well at times but when we play poorly it just seems to snowball. We have to figure out a way to move on to the next play. We still have a goal in front of us and that is to get to the state tournament. We’ll go to work this week and hopefully put really good back-to-back games together.”

While Havre wasn’t able to score a victory in the two-day tournament, the Ponies were in a position to grab a win in the opening game against Hamilton. After scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Havre led the Broncs 4-2 heading to the fifth and deciding inning. Yet, Hamilton plated three runs and Havre was unable to manage any offense in the bottom half of the inning, giving the 5-4 win to the Broncs.

Lauren Kato got the loss on the mound after allowing 12 runs and five hits in five innings of work. She notched three strikeouts and also had a hit. Janae Boles, Kinzee Peterson, Sam Lovenguth, Jera Verploegen and Peyton Brown all added one hit each. Brown also contributed with two RBIs. Lovenguth and Verploegen also drove in runs.

Havre had a shot at winning against Polson, too. The Pirates did build a 4-0 lead in the second game for the Ponies Friday, but HHS tied things up with four runs in the bottom of the third inning. However, Polson scored seven runs in the fourth and fifth innings, putting things out of reach and handing Havre a seven-run loss. Kato got the loss again on the mound but also managed a hit and two RBIs at the plate. Peterson finished with two hits and an RBI, while Oliver also managed a hit and drove in a run.

Saturday, Havre opened against Ronan but after allowing 11 runs in the first three innings, the Ponies faced a deficit too large to overcome and ended up losing 11-2 after adding a pair of runs late. Kato started the game and got the loss. She also had a hit and an RBI. Boles managed the other RBI, while Sydney Wilting, Peterson and Verploegen all had one hit apiece. Brown, who has been on a tear at the plate, finished with a team-high two hits.

The Ponies closed out their weekend by taking on the host team, Butte Central, Saturday afternoon and after five innings, the limit, the squads battled to a tie. Kato went another five innings for the Ponies, as she allowed four runs on seven hits while also striking out seven Butte Central batters.

Brown also continued her hot streak at the dish, getting two more hits against the Maroons, including a first-inning double that gave Havre a 2-0 advantage. She finished with two RBIs. Oliver drove in a run in the top of the fifth, thanks to a sac fly to center that put HHS up 4-2. But the Marrons added two runs late, tying the game and forcing it to end in a tie.

Matching Brown’s two hits was Zephy Linton, who hit safely twice and also drove in a run. Wilting also pitched in with two hits. The other hit came from Peterson, who managed a hit in each game over the weekend.

Havre will head to Lewistown Saturday for the Central A Divisional tournament. The top three teams head to state. The Ponies will open with top seed and defending Class A state champion Belgrade.

Hamilton 5, Havre

Hamilton 100 13 - 5 12

Havre 010 30 - 4 6 0

WP - J. Taggart

LP - Lauren Kato

Havre - Janae Boles 1-3, Sydney Wilting 0-3, Sam Oliver 0-3, Kinzee Peterson 1-1, Lauren Kato 1-1, Sam Lovenguth 1-2, Katelyn Maloughney 0-2, Peyton Brown 1-2.

Polson 11, Havre 4

Polson 121 34 -- 11 14 0

Havre 004 00 - 4 6 0

WP - L. Vergeront

LP - Lauren Kato

Havre - Janae Boles 1-3, Sydney Wilting 0-3, Sam Oliver 1-3, Kinzee Peterson 2-3, Lauren Kato 1-2, Sam Lovenguth 0-2, Zephy Linton 1-2, Savannah Dawson 0-2, Peyton Brown 0-1.

Ronan 12, Havre 2

Ronan 32421 - 12 12 0

Havre 000 11 - 2 6 0

WP - M. Jackson

LP - Lauren Kato

Havre - Janae Boles 0-3, Sydney Wilting 1-3, Sam Oliver 0-2, Kinzee Peterson 1-2, Lauren Kato 1-2, Sam Lovengtuh 0-2, Jera Verploegen 1-2, Kaitlyn Anderson 0-2, Peyton Brown 2-2.

Havre 4, Butte Central 4

Havre 020 11 - 4 7 3

BC 002 0 2 - 4 7 0

Havre - Janae Boles 0-3, Sydney Wilting 2-3, Sam Oliver 0-3, Kinzee Peterson 1-3, Lauren Kato 0-3, Sam Lovenguth 0-2, Zephy Linton 2-2, Savannah Dawson 0-1, Peyton Brown 2-2.