Northstars host Redbirds tonight

After being swept last weekend by the Lewistown Redbirds on the road, the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball club has another tough week lined up, with a mixture of doubleheaders both at home and on the road. With the regular season's end drawing closer, the Northstars will be looking to finish strong.

The week starts off with a showdown against Lewistown at Legion Field at 5 p.m. tonight, followed by a road game against the Glasgow Reds in Glasgow Wednesday at 5 p.m. Thursday evening will see the last home game of the season for Havre at Legion Field at 5 p.m. against the Great Falls Lightning and the week will be closed with a road game against the Glendive Blue Devils at 3 p.m. in Glendive.

Tonight's game at Legion Field against the Redbirds kicks off the week for the Northstars and head coach Patch Wirtzberger is looking forward to the battle.

"We know what we're going to get from Lewistown," Wirtzberger said. "They're a really tough team, their pitchers are good at throwing strikes, they're going to make plays in the field and hit the ball. It's a team we've beaten already a couple times in the season, as well, so if we do what we're supposed to do and hit the ball, we're going to have a chance to beat them."

Havre has made a lot of improvements since the start of the season, which will be a great help in their lineup of doubleheaders this week. In regard to pitching, Tyrel Kjersem, Trenton Maloughney, Julian Benson, Kale Reno and Carson Lunak have all made great strides on the mound, while the defense as a whole for the Northstars has been locking down as of late.

Offensively, Havre has made a great push. Quinn Reno, Eli Cloninger, Theron Peterson and Tavish Mclean have improved since the start of the year, filling out both the top and bottom of the lineup to provide a strong depth throughout the season. Quinn Reno has especially been a potent force, hitting the ball deep into the field to either help his team advance on bases or get runners to home plate.

But the Redbirds are a strong team, as well. Lewistown has both swept and split the Northstars multiple times this season, proving they are just as tough as they come in the Class A North District. The Redbirds can both hit the ball well and lock down a team on defense, meaning that Havre is always in for a showdown to the final inning whenever Lewistown takes the field.

After that game, Wednesday will see a road game against the Reds, where Wirtzberger knows that Glasgow will bring a great game, especially at their home field.

"Glasgow is much improved since we saw them last earlier in the season," Wirtzberger said. "We're going to have to play really well on the road to win that one, as well. They hit the ball and we're going to have to throw them a curve on the road."

When Wednesday passes, Thursday's game against the Lightning will not be an easy one, but Wirtzberger knows that his team will play to the best of their abilities that night at Legion Field, especially since it is a special night for Havre seniors Tyrel Kjersem and Quinn Reno.

Every doubleheader the Northstars have played against Great Falls has always ended in a split this season, which shows that the Lightning do not play around in a game. Great Falls has some powerhouses on offense that can place the ball well to throw off a defense on the field and get runner home. On top of that, the Lightning have a strong pitching core that can strike out a batter quickly. At the end of the day, it will be another showdown for Havre at home against Great Falls, likely coming down to the final pitches of the game.

Ending off the week is a doubleheader on the road against the Blue Devils, who brought their A-game to Legion Field earlier in the season, something that Wirtzberger was glad to have in regard to experience.

"Logistically, the game against Glendive is just tough going down there," Wirtzberger said. "It's a long trip, we play two games down there and coming back, so that's a challenge in itself. When we get there we just need to make sure we're ready to go. The game that we saw earlier in the season when we split with the Blue Devils up here in Havre is a good measuring stick of how much better we have got. To play a team that we played earlier in the season and now late in the season is going to be a good challenge."

It will be another week of both thrilling and tough baseball for the Havre Northstars (10-20). Tonight's games at Legion Field at 5 p.m. against the Lewistown Redbirds will be a difficult start.