Northstars stay alive at state tournament

The Class A State tournament has finally arrived for the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball club as they began competing in the tournament this week in Belgrade. In their most important week of the season, the Northstars have faced their ups and downs.

The Northstars started the tournament Wednesday night with a 15-5 loss to the Butte Miners. The Miners took the lead early on and never let Havre get back into it. Then in an elimination game Thursday morning, the Northstars held on for a 5-4 win over the Bitterroot Red Sox to keep their season alive.

"It's a tough turnaround to be ready for a 10 a.m. game after you lose a game the previous night," Havre head coach Patch Wirtzberger said. "But these guys, they just did it again. They're just super level-headed and it paid off."

Early on in their Wednesday loss to the Miners, the Northstars capitalized on a pair of Butte mistakes. After getting on base because of an error in the top of the first, Eli Cloninger then scored on another error to give Havre a 1-0 lead.

But the Miners showed why they won the South A District title in the bottom of the first.

After two runners got on base to start the inning, Eric Hart drove in a run with a double to left to tie the game. Aiden Lee then hit a double of his own to clear the bases and give Butte a 3-1 lead. After another single, Zach Tierney capped off the inning with a single to center to clear the bases and stretch the lead to 5-1.

The Northstars tried to respond in the top of the second. After he hit a triple to open the inning, Theron Peterson scored on a wild pitch to cut Havre's deficit to 5-2. But the Northstars were unable to slow down the Butte offense.

After Sean Ossello hit a triple to open the bottom of the second, Kenley Leary brought him home with a double to left. After a Havre error allowed another runner to get on base, Hart drove in another run with a double to right.

The Miners continued to put themselves in a strong position as they loaded the bases late in the inning. Tierney was hit by a pitch to drive in a run for Butte and then a base-loaded walk drove in another.

The Miners then got their bats going again. Ethan Cunningham hit a single to drive in another run. Leary and Eagen Lester then hit back-to-back doubles to drive in another four runs to give Butte a 14-2 lead and a firm control of the game.

"They've been doing that," Wirtzberger said about Butte's offensive production. "It's kind of on par for them. It's going to take a pitcher that really hits his spots and uses the outside of the strike zone wisely to keep them down."

In the top of the third, the Northstars tried to fight their way back. After two hits to open the inning, Brody Nanini scored on a fielder's choice to cut the deficit to 14-3. But in the bottom of the fourth, Leary hit an RBI double to center to stretch the lead to 15-3.

In the top of the fifth, the Northstars found some offense. After two hits to open the inning, Peterson cleared the bases with a double to center to cut the deficit to 15-5. But that was all the Northstars could muster as the Miners ended the inning with a 10-run lead to end the game in five innings.

While it was a rough game, there were some highlights for the Northstars. Both Peterson and Nanini recorded two hits in the game to lead the team while Peterson led the Northstars with three RBIs in the contest.

The Northstars were able to rebound with a 5-4 win against the Bitterroot Red Sox Thursday morning, but it was not easy. Timothy Hickey opened the game with a triple to right and then a sacrifice fly from Aaron Springer got him home for the 1-0 lead.

With their season on the line, the Northstars took the lead in the bottom of the second. After three straight walks to open the inning, another walk drove in the run to tie the game. Conner McKay then scored after tagging up on a lineout to give Havre a 2-1 lead.

The Northstars added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth when Drake Berreth scored after tagging up on a lineout. Then in the sixth, Kale Reno drove in another run with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Ezra Pyle scored on a passed ball to give Havre a 5-1 lead.

With their backs against the wall, the Red Sox fought in the top of the seventh. After two singles to open the inning, a Havre error allowed a runner to score. Another error allowed another runner to score and cut Havre's lead to 5-3.

A walk with the bases loaded drove in another run for Bitterroot to cut the lead to one run. But a lineout ended the game to keep Havre's season alive. With the year on the line, Nanini had a strong game on the mound. In his six innings pitched, he only allowed one earned run and four hits.

"Brody was fantastic," Wirtzberger said. "It was everything we needed."

While the Northstars won the game, they only recorded six hits as a team. None of the players recorded more than one hit or RBI against the Red Sox, but Wirtzberger believes their approach at the plate will eventually reward them this week.

"I just got to think sooner or later, we're going to have a breakout performance," Wirtzberger said. "They're all doing everything that they can right now to stick through their at bats and get on base and get runners in when they can."

With the win, the Northstars keep their season alive for at least another day. They will play in another elimination game tonight against either the Glacier Twins or the Belgrade Bandits. Glacier started the tournament with a 13-7 win over the Laurel Dodgers while the Bandits are coming off an 11-5 win over the Lewistown Redbirds. Whoever the Northstars play next, Wirtzberger knows they will be a tough outing.

"(We have to) wipe clean what happened today and get focussed and prepared," Wirtzberger said. "A good team is coming at us and we're going to have to be ready."

The Havre Northstars will play an elimination game against either the Glacier Twins or the Belgrade Bandits tonight at 4 p.m. in Belgrade.

Butte 15, Havre 5

HAV 1 1 1 0 2 X X - 5 7 3

BUT 5 9 0 1 X X X - 15 13 3

WP - Rye Doherty

LP - Trenton Maloughney

Havre Batting - Eli Cloninger 0-2, Drake Berreth 1-2, Brody Nanini 2-3, Trenton Maloughney 1-2, Colter Solomon 0-1, Theron Peterson 2-3, Jevin Jenkins 0-2, Ezra Pyle 0-3, Kale Reno 1-2, Kale Vancampen 0-1.

Havre 5, Bitterroot 4

BIT 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 - 4 4 1

HAV 0 2 0 0 1 2 X - 5 6 4

WP - Brody Nanini

LP - Tyler Jones

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