RONAN - It happened in each season and in almost every sport. When the teams in purple and orange clashed over the 2008-09 school year, either Polson or Ronan would come out with a win - but only by a hair.

And the rivalry matchup in softball was no different. It took seven innings and a blast from Polson's No. 1 bat in the clutch, senior Sarah Newton, for the go-ahead RBI to win it 4-3.

It was the closest game in a long time and it wasn't because Polson is getting any worse - the Lady Pirates still have veteran coach Larry Smith and have enough talent in hitting, pitching and fielding to fill out an all-star team.

“Larry Smith's teams are legendary and they're no different this year,” Ronan head coach Lucky Larson said.

No, the close game must be because Ronan fielded a team that's a notch above this year. At least that's the way Maiden senior pitcher Kaylee Larson sees it.

“I think this is the best we've been,” she said of her years playing on the team. “And this is the best the Maidens have been ever.”

But it was Polson's day.

After going up 1-0 in the second inning when Polson senior Charlee Jenson scored a run off a couple Ronan errors, things were quiet until the fifth.

Polson had one excellent chance to go ahead big in the fourth when a Lady Pirate cracked the ball into right field with runners ready, but Maiden sophomore Katie Andrews pulled off an acrobatic shoestring catch on the dropping ball.

By the time she slowed down, everyone on the infield could see half of the softball sticking out of her glove - it was that close.

With the bases loaded in top of the fifth, Polson senior Rochelle Woods stepped up to the plate.

Her bat found Kaylee's pitch and sent it flying. Polson seniors Liz Simshaw and Staci Benson headed in to home to make it 3-0.

In the bottom of the sixth, Ronan came back.

It started with Maiden senior Amanda Bartel, who knocked in a single then was replaced by pinch runner junior Makenzie Middleton.

When Ronan junior Chelsea Bourdon smacked the ball it was enough - with a Polson error - to get Middleton in for Ronan's first run.

Not long after, Maiden senior Kelsey Clairmont got up to bat. She gave Ronan the best hit of the day and sent Bourdon and her cousin, Ronan junior Brittani Clairmont on their way.

Lucky said the play was a long time in the making.

“Talk about a senior leader. A senior second basemen who's been starting for the Ronan Maidens for four years comes up with a huge hit in a close game. What more can you ask for? What a gamer,” he said.

Kelsey said her team prepares for moments like that.

“It's just something we work on - the hit and run, when we just have to get stuff done to turn the game around,” she said.

Consider the game turned around at that point - it went from 3-0 to a tie.

And then along came Polson in the seventh. Two of the biggest, baddest hitters in the league teamed up to get the run they needed.

Benson put herself into position to score with a double.

Polson head coach Larry Smith said it was the type of play he expects her to make.

“I've seen her do it before,” he said. “I've seen it time in and time out. She' s just a clutch batter. She's gonna get it done.”

Then there was Polson senior Sarah Newton. Stepping up to the plate with two outs, she said she knew it was her chance to make the big play.

“I've just been taught to stay calm in situations like that, because if you try too hard you're going to strikeout. All I really was thinking about was getting an RBI hit because that's all we needed.”

An RBI single later, and Polson had the 4-3 lead, one that would stick until the end.

It was an evenly pitched game. Lucky was happy to see Kaylee throw 65 strikes and 29 balls, a good ratio against a lineup like Polson's.

Kaylee gave up nine hits and had eight strikeouts.

The winning pitcher, all-state Polson senior Dakota Peterson had eight strikeouts also, but gave up only eight hits.

For Smith, the closer-than-usual rivalry bout gave his girls the chance to show they could finish.

“That's what impressed me the most about,” he said. “When the chips were down they came through and that's the most important thing.”

Ronan has new coaches and a new attitude. The Maidens practice for three hours everyday and came off a long stretch of winter workouts. It has taken them from a team that was no-hit by Peterson, a pitcher Lucky called “awesome,” the year before to a team that was able to get eight hits and three runs.

It means Ronan played the best rivalry game in years, something that means a lot to Kaylee and the Maidens.

“That's what we look forward to all season, all year actually, is playing them. That's what we talk about all year,” Kaylee said.

What does this mean for Newton and the Lady Pirates?

There is some serious competition just a few miles away for the team that won the 2007 state championship.

“Well it's better for us in the fact it's good to have more competition up this way because a lot of competition is in the East,” Newton said. “It showed us what we need to work on, too.”

Polson plays at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 16 at Columbia Falls and at 7 p.m. on Friday at Frenchtown.

Ronan plays at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 16 at Corvallis and at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Frenchtown.

Polson 010 020 1 - 4 9 2

Ronan 000 003 0 - 3 7 2

Dakota Peterson and Kayla Duford. Kaylee Larson and Jordan Strozzi. W - Peterson. L - Larson.

POLSON - Staci Benson 2-4, Susan Perez-Tennan 0-3, Sarah Newton 1-2, Rochelle Woods 2-4, Charlee Jenson 1-2, Sallie Sams 0-1, Peterson 0-3, Duford 1-2, Kodi Woods 0-1, Riley Kenney 0-1, Liz Simshaw 1-2, Cecilly Grant 1-1.

RONAN - Larson 1-4, Kelsey Clairmont 2-3, Strozzi 2-4, April Soukup 1-4, Amanda Bartell 1-4, Chelsey Bourdon 0-4, Dani Crockett 0-2, Brittni Clairmont 0-1, Katie Andrews 0-2.

2B - Kaylee Larson, Strozzi. RBIs - R: Kelsey Clairmont 2. P: Newton 1, Rochelle Woods 2.