Another weekend of fatspitch fun for all

With seven teams playing and a number of former Havre athletic greats, the Shaina's Challenge Fastpitch softball tournament was a success once again this past weekend at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field, even if a team from Havre didn't end up taking home the hardware.

The team that emerged from the seven-team field victorious was Tire Rama of Missoula, which knocked off Valley Furniture, another team from the Missoula area. Tire Rama scored 12 runs in the first inning of the game and went on to win 17-9. They finished the tournament 4-0.

The Gallery Lounge did its best to reach the championship game and was one of the teams representing Havre in the three-day tournament, which began Friday night at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field. The Gallery lost its first game but rebounded by to win three straight games, eliminating Havre Ford, Koefod and Master Sports in the process. Eventually, the Gallery reached the second semifinal against Valley Furniture before bowing out of the tournament.

The win for Valley Furniture gave them a second chance to beat Tire Rama, which also knocked them off in the undefeated semifinal. But the second matchup would be no different as the team from Missoula won the title game by a dominant eight-run margin.

Before the tournament kicked off Friday night with the first couple of games, the Havre High softball Alumni game took place and this year, there was a new twist. First, two alumni teams battled and the elder alumni team took down the more recent graduates by a score of 7-4. Then a mixture of the two teams took on the current Havre High softball team.

Kinzee Peterson, who just graduated, put the 2019 Ponies on the board against the alumni team with a home run. The alumni eventually scraped together a run and things were tied 1-1 as the game went into the fifth and final inning. The Ponies were able to load the bases for recent graduate Jera Verploegen and she took advantage, ripping a bases-clear double to the wall. Three runs scored and the Ponies grabbed a 4-1 lead. Lauren Kato was able to retire the side and give the current Havre softball team a 4-1 win.

The tournament, which was held in the honor of the late Shaina Evans, a former Montana State University-Northern volleyball player, was held at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field and this was the eighth time the tournament has taken place since its inception.

"I'm very proud of what this has grown into," tournament organizer Patch Wirtzberger said beforehand. "In seven years we have gone from a five-team tournament filled with all locals to a seven-team tournament with only three local teams. Most of all, I'm grateful to be able to spend the weekend with my family and remember and celebrate the life of my cousin. That's what this is all about and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Wirtzberger, the head coach of the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball team, played for Havre Ford. They were eliminated Saturday night.