Havre softball splits games at Frenchtown tournament

The Havre High softball team has not had the chance to compete in many non-conference games this season. But this past weekend, the Blue Ponies got the chance to see how they fare outside the Northeast A as they played in a tournament in Frenchtown. In their four games over the weekend, the Ponies went 2-2 in their games.

“I thought we played very well. That’s a good tournament,” HHS head coach Tony Vigliotti said. “I think we got our best outings from our pitchers in all four games so we were pleased overall to go 2-2 in that tournament. With the type of competition that we played, that was big for us.”

The Ponies started the weekend strong with an 18-7 win over Stevensville Friday. But early on, Stevensville came to play. After a double to open the game, an RBI single gave Stevensville a 1-0 lead. After Stevensville got another pair of runners on base, a passed ball and an error by the Ponies allowed another three runners to score and give Stevensville a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

But the Ponies were able to respond in the bottom of the first. After loading the bases with walks, Hannah Gingery singled to right field to drive in a pair of runs and cut the deficit to 4-2. Camille Keeley followed that up with a two-run home run to tie the game.

After Stevensville failed to score in the top of the second, the Ponies kept it rolling in the bottom half of the inning. After Avery Carlson was hit by a pitch to get on base, Lizzi Haney hit a double to drive in the run and take the lead. Alyssa Oliver then hit a two-run home run to center field to give Havre a 7-4 lead. A pair of RBI singles from Keeley and Jersi Morse later in the inning pushed the lead to 9-4.

The Havre bats just kept going in the bottom of the third. After the Ponies loaded the bases with no outs, Molly Huse doubled to center field to drive in a pair of runners to push the lead to 11-4. Oliver then scored on a groundout from Keeley to further extend the lead. Huse then scored on a wild pitch to give Havre a 13-4 lead.

Stevensville scored in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to 13-5, but it was not enough to get back into the game. The Ponies got two runners on base to start the bottom of the fourth. Carlson kept the scoring rolling as she scored on a wild pitch. After another runner got on base, Huse hit a three-run home run to center field to push the lead to 17-5. The Ponies ended the inning with another run to push the lead to 18-5.

Stevensville scored another pair of runs in the top of the fifth. But the Ponies were able to record three outs in the inning to win by run rule and start the weekend with a win. Carlson picked up the win as she pitched all five innings where she allowed six earned runs and five walks and she struck out four batters. Huse finished the game with four RBIs.

The Ponies could not keep up their offensive output in their 8-2 loss to Columbia Falls Friday night. The Ponies were able to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to a home run from Oliver. But the Wildkats were able to score in the top of the third to tie the game.

In the bottom of the third, the Ponies retook the lead with an RBI double from Oliver. The Wildkats then responded in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. The Wildkats’ bats then got rolling in the top of the fifth to push their lead to 7-2. The Wildkats then added an insurance run in the top of the seventh before recording three straight outs in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win.

As a team, the Ponies only recorded five hits. Carlson and Oliver each recorded two hits in the game and Oliver recorded both RBIs for Havre in the contest. Elle Verploegen started the game at pitcher and she recorded three strikeouts and six walks. While Columbia Falls scored eight runs, only one of them was an earned run against Verploegen.

The Ponies rebounded Saturday afternoon with a 15-0 win over Hamilton. They ran away with it early as they scored 10 runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Ponies opened the game with three straight singles to take a 2-0 lead. A sacrifice fly from Molly Huse allowed another runner to score.

After loading up the bases, the Ponies scored on three straight errors to further push the lead. Later in the inning, a groundout from Oliver got another runner home for a score. Another Hamilton error resulted in the last run of the inning to give Havre a 10-0 lead.

The Ponies kept rolling in the bottom of the second. Keeley got the inning started by scoring on a passed ball. Oliver then added to the lead with an RBI double. Another Hamilton error and an RBI single from Huse pushed the lead to 15-0.

The Ponies got three quick outs in the top of the third to end the game early. Carlson excelled at the plate with three RBIs and two hits. In their three combined innings, Carlson and Verploegen did not allow any hits while recording five strikeouts.

“Our pitchers threw strikes, the defense played well and we hit the ball,” Vigliotti said. “Avery and Elle threw well all weekend.”

But the tournament ended with a 7-3 loss to undefeated Frenchtown. After a slow start by both teams, Toni Beatty hit a home run to left field in the bottom of the second to give Frenchtown the lead. Frenchtown scored another run in the bottom of the third to push its lead to 2-0. In the bottom of the fourth, back-to-back RBI singles from Carah Evans and Chloe Long gave Frenchtown a 5-0 lead. Another run in the bottom of the fifth further pushed the lead to 6-0.

In the top of the sixth, the Ponies tried to work their way back into the game. Carlson got the Ponies on the board with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Carlson stole home to add another run. Gingery then hit another RBI single for the Ponies to cut the deficit to 6-3.

However, Frenchtown scored another run in the bottom of the sixth and then recorded three quick outs in the top of the seventh to win the game. Carlson and Oliver each recorded two hits for the Ponies. Carlson started the first 3.1 innings and recorded four strikeouts and two walks. In relief, Verploegen recorded a strikeout and a walk.

At the end of the weekend, the Ponies are now 7-6 on the season and 2-6 in non-conference competition. As the Ponies return to their conference slate, Vigliotti believes their time in the Frenchtown tournament will help them.

“Our confidence is high now,” Vigliotti said. “Our pitchers are pitching well, we’ve been putting the ball in play defensively and we’ve played a lot better so that’s going to bode well for us going into these next three games.”

The HHS softball team will next play on the road against Lewistown this Friday at 5 p.m.

Havre 18, Stevensville 7

STV 4 0 0 1 2 X X - 7 8 3

HAV 4 5 4 5 X X X - 18 15 2

WP - Avery Carlson

LP - K. Frost

Havre Batting - Avery Carlson 0-2, Lizzi Haney 3-4, Alyssa Oliver 2-2, Molly Huse 3-3, Hannah Gingery 1-4, Camille Keeley 2-4, Jersi Morse 2-4, Keylee Kline 2-3, Danni Wirtzberger 0-3.

Columbia Falls 8, Havre 2

CF 0 0 1 2 4 0 1 - 8 9 1

HAV 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 2 5 4

WP - Monltry

LP - Elle Verploegen

Havre Batting - Avery Carlson 2-3, Lizzi Haney 0-3, Alyssa Oliver 2-3, Molly Huse 1-3, Hannah Gingery 0-3, Camille Keeley 0-3, Elle Verploegen 0-2, Jersi Morse 0-1, Keylee Kline 0-3, Danni Wirtzberger 0-3.

Havre 15, Hamilton 0

HAM 0 0 0 X X X X - 0 0 7

HAV 10 5 X X X X X - 15 6 0

WP - Avery Carlson

LP - K. Shepard

Havre Batting - Avery Carlson 2-3, Lizzi Haney 1-2, Alyssa Oliver 1-2, Molly Huse 1-3, Hannah Gingery 0-2, Camille Keeley 0-1, Taylor Ball 0-2, Keylee Kline 0-2, Danni Wirtzberger 1-2.

Frenchtown 7, Havre 3

HAV 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 - 3 7 2

FRE 0 1 1 3 1 1 X - 7 9 0

WP - Sadie Smith

LP - Avery Carlson

Havre Batting - Avery Carlson 2-4, Lizzi Haney 0-3, Alyssa Oliver 2-3, Molly Huse 0-3, Hannah Gingery 1-3, Jersi Morse 1-3, Camille Keeley 0-3, Keylee Kline 0-1, Elle Verploegen 0-2, Danni Wirtzberger 1-3.