Blue Ponies dominate Lewistown at home

The Havre High softball team has dominated the Northeast A so far this season and that was no different Tuesday night at Sixth Avenue Memorial Field. Against Lewistown, the Blue Ponies got rolling to end up winning, 11-0, in only five innings.

"I thought we played well," HHS head coach Tony Vigliotti said. "Elle (Verploegen) pitched a great game. We got big hits the last couple games. We've just blistered the ball, we've been hitting the ball a lot and defensively, we played well. So all around, I'm very happy."

At the plate, many Ponies hit the ball well. Lizzi Haney went 3-4 with two RBIs in the contest. Molly Huse also had an excellent game going 2-4 with three RBIs. On the mound, Verploegen had another strong pitching performance allowing only three hits while striking out six batters.

The Ponies got started in the bottom of the first. After Haney hit a double to get on base, Camille Keeley hit a double to center field to drive in the run to give the Ponies the lead.

After a scoreless second, the Ponies got rolling in the bottom of the third. After getting two runners on to start the inning, Huse hit a double to right field to drive in a run. Jersi Morse followed that up with a double to left field to drive in both runners for a 4-0 lead.

The Ponies capped off the third with an RBI double from Kamree Oliver to make it a 5-0 game. In the bottom of the fourth, Keeley opened the inning with a single to left field. Huse followed that up with a two-run home run to center field to push the lead to 7-0. The Ponies have been rolling at the plate this season, and Tuesday night was just another showcase for their talent.

"I just think every time we go up, we just want to get a little bit better," Huse said about the Ponies' bats this season. "I think we're doing that really well. We're not trying to swing for the fences every time, we're just trying to get a little bit better."

The Ponies continued to roll in the bottom of the fourth. Morse and Hannah Gingery hit back-to-back singles to get on base. Verploegen then drove in a run with a single to center field. Danni Wirtzberger then drove in another run with a double to left field to make it 9-0.

After loading the bases, Haney hit a single to left field to drive in another pair of runs to push the lead to 11-0. After an error to start the top of the fifth, the Ponies recorded three quick outs to end the game early.

With the win, the Ponies moved to 5-0 in the Northeast A, winning most of their games by double digits. As the postseason soon approaches, dominating conference play so far is a good sign for the Ponies.

"It sets us up well, sitting 5-0," Vigliotti said. "Our first goal is to win the Northeast A and get the number one seed going into the divisional tournament in a few weeks. We're off to a good start and that's where we wanted to be and where we expected to be."

Along with remaining undefeated in conference play, the Ponies moved to 8-1 overall this season. After several delays to the season earlier this spring, the Ponies have gotten on a roll and look to continue that with some tough games coming up.

"We're feeling really good. We started out a little apprehensive just because of the weather. We were inside a lot to practice so we weren't sure how we'd be out on the field," Huse said. "We've gotten a little bit better every time and as we go through the season, I think we're just going to get better."

The HHS softball team will continue the season with non-conference games at the Frenchtown Tournament starting this Friday.

Havre 11, Lewistown 0

LEW 0 0 0 0 0 X X - 3 1

HAV 1 0 4 6 X X X - 11 14 2

WP - Elle Verploegen

LP - K. Southworth

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