Twelve games into the 2023 season and two things are clear for the Plains Trotters softball team: they can hit and their fielding has improved substantially.

Keeping opposing runners off the base paths has been a problem.

The Trotters played four games this past week, with the fourth suspended in a 3-3 tie due to inclement weather in Missoula.

Plains began the week with a 2-7 record as their bats came alive and they went three games without an official error.

They banged out several extra base hits during the week, including four round-trippers.

The only error they committed was in the suspended game that was halted after four innings versus Class A Manhattan.

Plains began the week with a big loss to Mission/Arlee/Charlo, the tri-co-op team which scored 25 runs on 22 hits in their 25-9 win over the Trotters last Monday. MAC scored five runs in the top of the first inning, then withstood a Plains rally that pushed four runs across home plate, all of those runs on a first inning grand slam by Kassidy O’Keefe after three Trotters singled to load the bases.

However, in the top of the second frame, the Lady Bulldogs erupted for 10 runs to take control of the game. Plains fought back with a solo run in the bottom of the third, but MAC, which also added a solo run in the third, tacked on nine runs in their half of the fourth to take a commanding 25-5 lead.

Plains rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fourth, two of them on a two run homer by Marissa Young but it was too little too late.

Friday the Trotters traveled to the Garden City for a six-team tournament and took on Three Forks in their opening game. Senior Carlie Wagoner went four-for-four at the plate, including a two-run home run, and scored four runs for the Trotters but it was not enough to overcome a 7-1 Three Forks lead as the Wolves held off a late Plains rally and won the game 12-10.

Plains rallied for four runs in the top of the fourth in that game, but Three Forks answered with three scores in the bottom of the inning. Both teams added two runs each in the sixth inning, giving Three Forks a 12-7 lead going into the top half of the seventh inning.

Plains plated three more runs in the seventh but it was not enough to overtake the Wolves.

Later that day, the Trotters took on the Ennis Lady Mustangs, who took a 2-1 lead after the first inning. By the end of the third, each team had added one run, giving Ennis a 3-2 lead going into the fourth.

Plains sophomore Maddy Blood belted a home run in the top of the fifth when the Trotters erupted for five runs and took a 7-3 lead. Each team scored two in the sixth and Plains added one in the top of the seventh to take a 10-5 lead on their way to a five-run victory.

Plains outhit the Lady Mustangs 19-9 and for the third straight game had no fielding errors.

It was their third win of the season and another display of their hitting potential. That would continue into Saturday, when rain and cold threatened to cancel the tournament from the beginning.

The Trotters took on Manhattan in the Saturday morning contest and both teams were tied 2-2 at the end of the first, then 3-3 at the end of the third. The game was suspended after four innings of play.

Prior to the weather delay, Young, Piper Bergstrom and Blood all had two hits each in two trips to the plate for the Trotters. In all, through the four innings that were played, Plains had outhit Manhattan 9-3.

The Trotters are scheduled to travel to Anaconda this Saturday for games with Deer Lodge and the host Lady Copperheads. Their next home game is Monday, May 1 against Sanders County rival Thompson Falls.