Freshmen usually need some transition time when it comes to

getting use to high school. There's the class schedule, getting use

to new teachers, friends and a new level of responsibility. Imagine

the amount of responsibility put on pitcher Shay Duford for the

Polson Lady Pirates.

Freshmen usually need some transition time when it comes to getting use to high school. There's the class schedule, getting use to new teachers, friends and a new level of responsibility.

Imagine the amount of responsibility put on pitcher Shay Duford for the Polson Lady Pirates.

Polson had four state championships already in the trophy case when Duford stepped to the center of the diamond to pitch in the state tournament. She was the lone pitcher that the Lady Pirates were going to use.

They would go as far as she took them.

"She was just as strong in the last inning of the last game as she was in the first inning of the first game," Polson head coach Larry Smith told the Leader after winning the 2010 state championship.

Duford looked like a vet for the Lady Pirates. In the first game of the state tournament, she held Laurel to just one run in an 11-1 victory.

After a ten-inning 9-7 thriller over Billing Central, Duford continued her great pitching performances by holding Belgrade to one run to advance to the championship game with a 5-1 win.

They once again faced Belgrade and Duford was again strong, keeping them in check as the Lady Pirates won 6-3 for the state championship.

It should come as no surprise though, as Duford has been a pitcher since age 10 and had her sister, Kayla Duford, catching for her.

"It's a lot easier than if it was a friend," Shay said in an earlier interview with the Leader. "We just get over it. One time my changeup wasn't working and she kind of told me that I looked like I was all over the place and it actually worked. She just tells me to just calm down instead of getting mad. Even though that makes me even more mad at the time, it makes me think about it."

Her sister attested to her sister's spirit in an earlier feature on both siblings.

"She's kind of crazy, not in a bad way. She always has to be doing something. She can't really just sit down and relax. She's like a little fireball. If someone does something she doesn't like, she'll tell you," Kayla said.

She'll be a sophomore for this upcoming spring season, meaning that Polson should have an excellent hurler for years to come.

If last year is any indication, Polson High School might want to make a little more room in the trophy case.