Chinook comes back to win 10U softball championship

After several delays, the Havre 10U softball league finally held its championship game at Sixth Avenue Memorial Field Tuesday night. Heading into the final inning, it looked like Triple Dog would win the title with a 10-7 lead. But Chinook responded in the top of the fourth inning to come back and win the game, 15-10, to secure the championship.

"It feels pretty good," Chinook player Abby Danley said about winning the championship. "We were losing in the beginning and I thought we weren't going to win but then somehow we won."

After winning the previous game to qualify for the championship game, Chinook played well early on. In the top of the first inning after getting two runners on base, a wild pitch allowed a Chinook runner to score for a 1-0 lead. A Triple Dog error then allowed another Chinook runner to score to add onto the lead. Chinook again scored thanks to a dropped ball to push the lead to 3-0.

But Triple Dog responded in the bottom of the first. After two walks to start the inning, a Chinook error allowed both runners to score to cut the deficit to 3-2. A wild pitch allowed a Triple Dog runner to score and tie the game. A single then drove in another run to give Triple Dog a 4-3 lead to end the inning.

Chinook swung right back in the top of the second to retake the lead. A Chinook runner tied the game after scoring on a wild pitch. Back-to-back singles from Chinook drove in another pair of runners to give Chinook a 6-4 lead. Another wild pitch led to another run to give Chinook a 7-4 lead to end the inning.

Again, Triple Dog responded with a strong inning of its own. After three straight walks to start the bottom of the second, another walk brought in a run. A single then drove in a pair of runs to tie the game once again. A runner capped off the inning by scoring on a wild pitch to give Triple Dog an 8-7 lead.

After Chinook went scoreless in the top of the third, Triple Dog continued to roll in the bottom of the third. An RBI single drove in a run and then another runner scored on a fielder's choice to give Triple Dog a 10-7 lead.

With one last chance to stay alive in the game, Chinook made the most of it in the top of the fourth. The scoring got started with a runner scoring on a wild pitch to cut into the deficit. A Triple Dog error allowed another runner to score to cut the deficit to 10-9. An RBI single then tied the game 10-10.

With momentum, Chinook continued to roll in the top of the fourth. A defensive error allowed a pair of runners to score to give Chinook a 12-10 lead. Another runner then scored on a wild pitch. Another error allowed two more runs to give Chinook a 15-10 lead after trailing, 10-7, coming into the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Chinook recorded three quick outs to complete the comeback. After Chinook completed its comeback, head coach Leland Standiford was proud of his team's efforts, both in the game and throughout the season.

"They're awesome. They played great. They never gave up and they never quit," Standiford said. "Our girls have fought through this stuff and they've not given up and it's just so amazing that every day and every game, they get better and better. They get more confidence in themselves and it's such a joy to coach them."