Area softball state tournament round up

BUTTE - The 16U Polson Purple Rain were undefeated through four games at the state tournament but fell just short in the championship game against Belgrade last Sunday in Butte.

"We had a very successful summer season," head coach Larry Smith said. "Every tournament, we were right in there battling in the championship game."

The Purple Rain started the tournament with a 17-7 win over Anaconda and a 7-6 victory over Billings. Then they faced their season-long rival, the Flathead Monsters and defeated them, 10-4. The two teams had faced off against one another often in elimination rounds and championship games of tournaments all year long.

"For some reason, we always hit the same pool or the same side of the bracket," Smith said. "We've gotten to know each other quite well."

That set the stage for the game against Belgrade, a matchup between the two teams without a loss in the tournament bracket. The game started out in the first inning with both teams shaking off nerves and working through a few errors on the field.

The Purple Rain committed two errors, which allowed two runs to score. Belgrade also committed one of their two errors in the game.

"After that, they showed what both of the teams were. Good defensive teams with good solid pitching," Smith said.

He said his team was able to fight off quite a few Belgrade runners in scoring position.

Ashley Johnson went 2-for-4 in the game with two runs scored.

"She had a super weekend," Smith said. "She was great running the base paths."

Shay Duford also went 2-for-5, with two RBIs in the first inning to get the Purple Rain off to a good start. They would carry that momentum on to win 6-4 and sent Belgrade to the loser's bracket.

However, Belgrade would win their next game to face the Purple Rain again in the championship.

Even though it was a closely contested game, Belgrade took advantage of a late error by Polson to score a runner from third and take the 4-3 victory and first place at state.

Against Belgrade this year, the Purple Rain had gone 3-3.

"Every game has been close," Smith said.

Polson finished the season 30-7 and Smith said he saw big improvements throughout the lineup the entire year. He also said outfielder Kodi Woods and catcher Kayla Duford helped the team deal with the pressure of following up a high school state softball championship in the spring.

"They both have a soothing attitude," Smith said. "They're both very smart players and they're very positive with their teammates."

Woods was consistent all year-round and batted .500 for the state tournament, Smith said.

Meanwhile, behind the plate, Duford was a rock for the team all year.

"This entire season, I haven't seen a better catcher," Smith said. "And she's got a handful of a job, her little sister [Shay] is the pitcher."

Attack gets three wins

at state tournament

BUTTE - The 12U Ronan Orange and Black Attack showed the rest of the state they were a force to be reckoned with, winning three games at the state championship last weekend in Butte.

Ronan lost 9-5 to the eventual state champion Bitterroot Sparks in its first game, but gave them a run for their money.

"The coach said, ‘Your players came to play,'" coach Allen Smith said. "It was entertaining watching him pace around the dugout."

The Attack bounced back by beating the Great Falls Select Gold team 6-5 and escaped a two-and-out performance at the state tournament.

"Some people thought we'd be two and done facing the Gold team," Allen said. "But the Great Falls Select were the ones who got it handed to them."

The positive momentum continued for the Attack as they pummeled the Electric City Black team 23-1.

"They walked and walked and walked us," Smith said.

In their next game, Ronan trailed the Bozeman Steelers 3-0 in the third inning, but came roaring back to score six runs and eventually won 7-6.

The Attack was handed their second and final defeat of the tournament against the Havre Havoc, 2-1.

It was a defensive battle with plenty of batters being retired.

"It was one of those games where you get up and then you're down," Smith said.

Ronan finished the season on a high note, however, and Smith said everyone was happy with how they performed.

"It was a very good showing for them," he said.

12U Purple Wave

takes third place

BUTTE - It was a tough road to take, but the 12U Polson Purple Wave crested at the right time and took home the third place trophy at the state championship last weekend in Butte.

"The two teams that we lost to were the top two teams in the state," head coach Kirk Murphy said.

The Wave started their tournament with a 16 strikeout performance from pitcher Kylie Murphy and a 7-3 victory over the Billings Havoc.

"It was one of those games that the score didn't indicate what happened," Murphy said.

In the next game, Sarah Rausch hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the second inning to key Polson to a 10-7 victory over the Belgrade Wolfpack.

The offensive fireworks would spill over into their game against the Bozeman Steelers.

The game lasted just four innings and the Wave won 14-2 after scoring seven runs first and another seven in the second.

"They put the ball in play and put the ball in play hard," Murphy said.

Rausch was 3-for-3 and Ashley Benson was 2-for-2 in the game.

That then pitted them against the Bitterroot Sparks, a team they had played three times before and lost by one run each time.

However, history wouldn't repeat itself as the Wave scored three runs in the top of the seventh for the 5-3 victory.

That set them up for the undefeated matchup against the Glacier Emeralds.

The Emeralds scored two runs in the first and two runs in the second, cruising to a 4-1 victory.

That dropped the Wave down to the lower bracket where they once again faced the Bitterroot Sparks.

This time they fell 12-8 to take third place.

"We were starting to fade a little bit by then," Murphy said.

The Sparks ended up beating the Emeralds in the championship game for first place.

"We'll have almost all of the girls back next year," Murphy said. "They can be one of those older teams next year."

10U Lil' Lakers

take fourth

BUTTE - The 10U Polson Lil' Lakers made it to Sunday before falling 13-7 to the Great Falls Select Green team and taking home the fourth place trophy at the state championships last weekend in Butte.

"We made it to championship Sunday, which was our main goal," head coach Scott Renault said. "That was our goal and they played well beyond our expectations."

The Lakers won two games on Friday. First they scored in bunches, beating Anaconda, 30-0.

"When the girls want to hit, we don't stop them," Renault said.

They followed that up with an 11-4 victory over the Billings Force.

The next day started off on a sour note with a 9-3 loss to the Capital City Thunder. That dropped them into the lower bracket where they faced the Butte Magic.

"That one was a nail-biter," Renault said. "We had a lot of girls crying at the end of that game."

They may have been tears of joy, however as the Lil' Lakers pulled that one out, 4-3.

Even though they fell in the next game to Great Falls, Renault said that there's plenty for this team to be proud about.

"They kept their heads up and played their butts off," Renault said. "There was outstanding play from all the girls."