Northstars set to compete in Magris Invitational

The Havre Northstars American Legion baseball club has a busy summer ahead and that includes the Magris Invitational in Three Forks this weekend. The Northstars will have many games to play in a short span of time, but Havre head coach Patch Wirtzberger looks forward to the challenge.

"It's going to be a tough tournament," Wirtzberger said. "Five games in three days is a challenge in itself with our pitching staff but it's going to be good to get on the road with the guys."

The Northstars will start the tournament Friday with a game against the Cody Cubs. The Cubs should be a tough opponent considering they are the three-time Wyoming state champions. But in their lone meeting last season, the Northstars got the better of them with a 7-1 victory.

The Northstars will then face the Gallatin Valley Outlaws. The Northstars just played the Outlaws in the Havre Jamboree this past weekend, where the teams battled to a 2-2 tie. The Northstars will then play the Lewistown Redbirds Saturday. Last season, the Northstars went 3-5 against their conference opponent.

The Northstars continue the tournament Sunday with a game against the Bitterroot Red Sox. Last summer, the Northstars went 4-0 against the Red Sox. The Northstars will wrap up the tournament with a game against the Dillon Cubs. In their lone meeting last season, Dillon defeated Havre 4-0.

The Northstars head into the tournament with a 10-8-1 record this season. The Northstars are looking to build off a sweep of the Tri County Cardinals Tuesday night, but that will be tough with the competition they face this weekend.

"Gallatin Valley is always a really tough team so I expect a really good challenge from them. Lewistown, we get to look at them for the first time this season. They're a good conference opponent and a good rival of ours," Wirtzberger said. "The Bitterroot Red Sox will be a different team but a really good team. And then Dillon, you just never know, but I think they're going to have some really good players and they're going to be ready to go."

The Northstars' best players will look to lead them to success this weekend in Three Forks. Kale Reno should get significant time pitching this weekend as he has a 3-2 record, 25 strikeouts and a 4.760 ERA this season. Brody Nanini will also get some time on the mound as he has a 1-2 record and 27 strikeouts this weekend.

The Northstars will need to get going at the plate if they want to compete this weekend. Terek Shipp is having a strong season as he has 14 RBIs and a .460 batting average. Drake Berreth will also look to make an impact as he has eight RBIs and a .371 batting average so far this summer. If the rest of the bats can get going as well, Wirtzberger believes the Northstars can do well against the tough competition at the tournament.

"It all starts and ends for us at the plate. If we're hitting the ball, everything else kind of falls in line," Wirtzberger said. "When we go cold at the plate, we kind of tend to not play as well and not pitch as well, so consistency at the plate is what we're looking for."

The Havre Northstars will begin the Magris Invitational this Friday in Three Forks.