Noxon defeated by Deer Lodge

The Powell County Wardens softball team split its games in Sanders County by first losing to the Lady Hawks, then bouncing back to defeat the Lady Red Devils.

Nearly two feet of snow on the Noxon Lady Red Devils' field forced them to conduct their first “home” game at Thompson Falls, where they took on the Powell County Lady Wardens.

Lady Hawk Bria Howard pitched 13 strikeouts and walked only two batters and shut out the Lady Wardens 10-0 in the sixth inning. The senior also went one-for-three at the plate and chalked up an RBI. Against the Mission Lady Bulldogs Thursday at St. Ignatius, Howard had a dozen strikeouts and only three walks. She also had two RBIs. The Thompson Falls girls defeated the Bulldogs 9-0.

For Howard, her first two games of the season have been shutouts and in both games, she allowed only one hit each.

Head coach Randy Pirker said she has several effective pitches, including a hard-to-hit fast pitch, but in the event she is injured again this season, Pirker said he has two other star pitchers in the wings. Kyla Molzhon, a sophomore, pitched seven strikeouts and had only one walk in a junior varsity game against Powell County Saturday afternoon. Junior Megan Fitchett relieved Molzhon on the mound in the fourth inning and finished out the game with five strikeouts and no walks to claim a JV 10-0 victory. Between Fitchett and Molzhon, they collected 12 strikeouts in facing 19 batters, said Pirker, who added that either would be an asset to the varsity squad.

Five of six Lady Hawk batters had at least one RBI during the varsity game against Deer Lodge. Senior Nicole Hagedorn went three-for-five, all singles. Molzhon went two-for-four and picked up three RBIs. Junior Katelyn Jedlicka went to plate four times and singled three times, and she had two RBIs. Jedlicka went two-for-four against Mission, too.

Katie Petteys made it to base twice out of her four times at bat. Jessica Pfister was one-for-four; Fitchett was one-for-three; and Karli Cavill went one-for-three.

The Lady Hawks scored four times in the first inning, picked up two more in the second, another in the fourth, one in the fifth, and two in the sixth to end the game.

“I'm very happy with their progress,” said Pirker. He added that they didn't play perfect and there's room for improvement, but he said it's tough to play when it's cold.

With the temperatures in the mid to high 30s, scattered snow flurries continued during Saturday's games.

The Lady Wardens defeated the Noxon girls 12-1 in five innings. Because of heavy snow in Noxon, the Lady Red Devils have had to practice inside the school gymnasium, according to head coach Mike Herbig, which has hurt his team, which has been unable to use the pitching machine, and if nor can they effectively practice grounders or fly balls, he said. And there's no sign of the snow diminishing. He said there continues to be about 18 inches on the softball field.

Noxon's next game will be in Troy Thursday. The home field conditions mean the Lady Devs are scheduled to play their doubleheader against Loyola and Florence at Thompson Falls Saturday, although the Lady Hawks will also hold a doubleheader the same day against the same teams. Herbig said the game times had yet to be worked out.

The Lady Red Devils scored first against Deer Lodge when senior Angela Herbig stole home on a wild pitch. Herbig had doubled, then stole third before going home to give Noxon a 1-0 lead at the end of the first. However, the Lady Warden picked up five runs in the second and five more in the third. There was no score in the fourth, but in the fifth, Powell County scored two more runs to end the game.

Senior Sarah Larkin pitched the first three innings; her younger sister Stephanie Larkin, a sophomore, took the mound in the fourth. Each of them had one strikeout.

The only other hit for Noxon was done by Amber Kardokus, a sophomore, with a single.

The Drummond softball team had been scheduled to play both Sanders County teams at Thompson Falls, but two injuries forced Drummond to cancel its trip. The Plains Trotters were also slated to play the Eureka Lady Lions Saturday afternoon, at Plains, but that game was canceled due to snow. The Trotters are scheduled to travel to Loyola Thursday and face Deer Lodge at home Saturday at 4 p.m.