Northstars finish second at Bitterroot Bucs Invite

Over the past few weeks, the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball club has been playing its best baseball. This past weekend in Florence, the Northstars have continued their strong play as they finished second in the Bitterroot Bucs Invite.

The Northstars started the weekend strong with an 8-3 win over the Belgrade Bandits on Thursday afternoon. They got the bats rolling with two straight singles to start the game. Brody Nanini then hit a home run to left field to give Havre an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

In the bottom of the first, Kash Fike hit a home run to left field to get Belgrade on the scoreboard. The Northstars responded in the top of the second with an RBI single from Drake Berreth to push the lead to 4-1.

But the Bandits stayed with it. In the bottom of the third, Sawyer Olson scored on a groundout for the Bandits. Later in the inning, Aidan Kulbeck hit a single to center field to drive in another run to cut the deficit to 4-3.

The Northstars responded with a strong top of the fourth. With two runners on, Nanini hit a single to center field to drive in a run. Theron Peterson then hit another single to center that brought home two runners to extend the lead to 7-3.

In the top of the sixth with a runner on, Berreth hit a triple to right field to drive in another run to make it 8-3. The Northstars then shut out the Bandits in the last two innings to secure the win.

Nanini started the game and pitched 6.2 innings where he allowed five hits, two earned runs and he struck out five batters. He also led the team with four RBIs. Berreth also had a strong game at the plate as he went 4-for-4 with two RBIs.

The Northstars kept up their strong play on Friday with a 15-8 win over the Bitterroot Red Sox. As usual, the Northstars took control in the top of the first. After three straight walks to start the game, another walk brought in a run to give Havre the lead. Berreth then scored on a fielder's choice to add onto the lead.

Later in the inning, Peterson scored on a wild pitch to add to the advantage. With the bases loaded, Lane Kinsella was hit by a pitch to bring in another run to push the lead to 4-0. In the top of the second, Havre pushed the lead to 5-0 with an RBI double from Peterson.

Over the next few innings, the Red Sox worked their way back into the game. A bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the second got Bitterroot on the scoreboard. Then in the bottom of the third, Nick Pierce scored on a wild pitch for the Red Sox. Bobby Truc then drove in another run with a single to cut Havre's lead to 5-3.

But Havre responded in the top of the fourth to again take control. After two walks to start the inning, Terek Shipp hit a double to right field to clear the bases. He then scored himself on a Bitterroot error. Kale VanCampen then scored on another error later in the inning.

The Northstars continued to take advantage of their opponents' mistakes in the inning. Kale Reno added onto the lead with an RBI single to center field. Then after loading the bases again, the Red Sox walked three straight batters to drive in three runs. VanCampen was then hit by a pitch to push the lead to 14-3.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Red Sox responded with a dominant inning of their own. McCoy Townsend scored on a sacrifice fly to get things started. An RBI single from Reese Earp then cut into the deficit even further.

Later in the inning, a Havre error allowed a pair of runners to cut the score to 14-7. Another error allowed another runner to score to cut Havre's lead to six runs. But the Northstars were able to hold on.

After an RBI double from Berreth in the top of the fifth to extend the lead, Havre held Bitterroot scoreless in the fifth to secure the win. Three different pitchers took the mound for Havre, but Ezra Pyle earned the win as he allowed three hits and two earned runs in his 2.1 innings pitched. Shipp led the team with four RBIs while Reno led the team with three hits.

The Northstars continued the tournament with a 5-5 tie against the Bitterroot Bucs on Saturday. Just like their other games, Havre scored first in the top of the first with a bases-loaded walk. But the Bucs responded in the bottom of the first. After Brodie Hinsdale scored on a groundout to tie the game, a single drove in another run to give Bitterroot a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the second, Pyle tied the game as he scored on a Bitterroot error. But in the bottom of the third, a Havre error allowed a runner to score and give Bitterroot the lead again. A single then drove in another run to push the lead to 4-2.

But the Northstars kept with it. In the top of the fourth, Eli Cloninger drove in a run with a single to left field. Then in the top of the fifth, Nanini scored on a groundout to tie the game. Then in the top of the seventh, Peterson hit an RBI double to left field to give Havre a 5-4 lead.

However, Havre could not close it out in the bottom of the seventh as Bitterroot scored a run to tie and extend the game. After another two extra innings, neither team scored as they had to settle for the tie. Peterson led the team as he went 4-for-5 at the plate. Despite not registering a hit in the game, Reno led the Northstars with two RBIs.

On Sunday morning, the Northstars found their groove again as they won, 7-3, against the Lewistown Redbirds. But the game did not start out on the right foot as a sacrifice fly from Trajan Sparks drove in a run for Lewistown in the bottom of the first.

In the top of the second, Maloughney scored on an error to tie the game. Then in the third, Nanini scored on another Bitterroot error to give Havre the lead. Reno followed up that score with an RBI single to push the lead to 3-1.

Over the next few innings, the Northstars began to pull away. In the fifth, Reno recorded another RBI single for the Northstars. Then in the sixth, Nanini drove in another pair of runs to push the lead even further. Later in the inning, Berreth scored on a fielder's choice to give Havre a 7-1 lead.

A two-run home run by Luke Clinton in the sixth cut into the lead, but Havre held on the rest of the way to win the game. Maloughney pitched the whole way as he allowed seven hits and three earned runs and recorded four strikeouts. Reno had another excellent game at the plate as he went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

With their record in the tournament, the Northstars made it to the tournament championship on Sunday afternoon. However, they suffered a 9-8 loss to the Bitterroot Bucs to end the weekend. The Bucs started the game hot in the top of the first. After a sacrifice fly to take the lead, a double drove in another pair of runs to push the lead. Another single drove in another run to give Bitterroot a 4-0 lead in the game.

The Northstars were able to stay in the game. After loading the bases with three straight walks, two more walks brought in a pair of runs to cut the deficit to 4-2. But the Bucs responded in the second to push their lead to 6-2.

Again, the Northstars responded in the bottom of the second. With two runners on, Berreth hit a single to right field to drive in a run. Nanini then hit a double to center field that drove in another pair of runs. Peterson then cleared the bases with a triple to give Havre the lead. He then scored himself to extend the lead to 8-6.

But the Bucs did not relent. In the third, an RBI double drove in a run to cut the deficit to one. Then in the fifth, a sacrifice fly and an RBI single brought in another pair of runs to give Bitterroot a 9-8 lead. The Bucs then shut out the Northstars the last three innings of the game to secure the win.

The Northstars improved their record to 30-18-1 over the weekend. They now only have four games before the postseason begins next weekend. The Northstars will look to keep up their strong play with a doubleheader against the Tri County Cardinals in Conrad on Thursday starting at 3 p.m.

Havre 8, Belgrade 3

HAV 3 1 0 3 0 1 0 - 8 12 2

BEL 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 - 3 5 1

WP - Brody Nanini

LP - Lane Neill

Havre Batting - Eli Cloninger 2-4, Drake Berreth 4-4, Brody Nanini 2-5, Trenton Maloughney 1-4, Theron Peterson 1-2, Kale Reno 1-3, Terek Shipp 0-2, Kale VanCampen 1-4, Ezra Pyle 0-3.

Havre 15, Bitterroot Red Sox 8

HAV 4 1 0 9 1 X X - 15 8 4

BIT 0 1 2 5 0 X X - 8 7 2

WP - Ezra Pyle

LP - Nick Pierce

Havre Batting - Kale Reno 3-4, Drake Berreth 1-2, Theron Peterson 1-2, Conner McKay 0-1, Terek Shipp 1-3, Kale VanCampen 1-1, Colter Solomon 1-3, Lane Kinsella 0-1, Ezra Pyle 0-4.

Havre 5, Bitterroot Bucs 5

HAV 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 - 5 9 3

BIT 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 5 7 4

Havre Batting - Eli Cloninger 1-5, Drake Berreth 1-4, Brody Nanini 1-4, Trenton Maloughney 1-4, Theron Peterson 4-5, Kale Reno 0-3, Conner McKay 0-3, Terek Shipp 0-1, Ezra Pyle 1-4, Lane Kinsella 0-1, Kale VanCampen 0-3.

Havre 7, Lewistown 3

HAV 0 1 0 2 1 3 0 - 7 8 1

LEW 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 3 7 4

WP - Trenton Maloughney

LP - Wyatt Elam

Havre Batting - Eli Cloninger 0-3, Drake Berreth 0-3, Brody Nanini 1-2, Trenton Maloughney 2-3, Theron Peterson 1-4, Kale Reno 2-4, Conner McKay 1-4, Kale VanCampen 0-4, Ezra Pyle 1-4.

Bitterroot Bucs 9, Havre 8

BIT 4 2 1 0 2 0 0 - 9 13 0

HAV 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 - 8 10 0

Havre Batting - Eli Cloninger 3-5, Drake Berreth 1-3, Brody Nanini 1-2, Trenton Maloughney 2-3, Theron Peterson 1-2, Conner McKay 0-1, Kale Reno 0-1, Terek Shipp 1-4, Kale VanCampen 1-4, Colter Solomon 0-4.