It was opening week for high school softball across Montana and local teams fought some of  Montana’s fiercest opponents from around the state. Polson faced a gauntlet while Mission/Arlee/Charlo dropped their doubleheader.

Belgrade Softball 16, Polson Softball 3

Polson opened their season on March 27 when they took on Class AA Belgrade.

It was going to be a tough game with the Lady Panthers coming off a stellar season last year. This year was no different as Belgrade started the game off by scoring 11 runs in the top of the first inning.

Polson struggled defensively to keep up as the Belgrade bats kept taking every opportunity given to them. The Lady Pirates finally nabbed a run in the second inning but they trailed 11-1 after two innings.

Despite shutting out Belgrade in the third and fourth innings, Polson couldn’t find a way back into this one. They notched two more runs before letting Belgrade take the win 16-3 over six innings.

Hamilton Softball 5, Polson Softball 2

In a closer affair, Polson took on Hamilton on March 28 in an attempt to avenge their season-opening loss.

It looked promising as both teams played defensively. Maddy Turner led the pitching off and helped fend off any runs for the first two innings of this game.

Despite Hamilton getting on the board to start the third, Polson answered with two runs in the fourth inning. However, the Hamilton bats had finally warmed up as they tacked on three runs in the fifth inning.

Polson couldn’t find any more scoring for the rest of the game. Despite having two runners in scoring position late in the game, they never managed to tie it up before Hamilton added an insurance run. Polson lost 5-2.

Polson Softball 12, Corvallis Softball 3

In the Lady Pirates' final game of the week, they took on Corvallis on March 28 with some much-needed energy.

After dropping their first two games of the year, they needed something to help get them back into a rhythm. It was a slow start for Polson as they went down 3-1 after the first inning.

However, they immediately rallied by not allowing another run for the rest of the game. Turner had a stellar performance with five strikeouts throughout the game.

With the help of second base Adrienne Crockett and right fielder Aleysia Black, the Lady Pirates dominated defensively for the rest of the game. 

They went on to score four runs in two different innings, with almost the whole Polson lineup getting at least a hit in that game. They took this one handily, 12-3, to close out opening weekend with a 1-2 overall record.

Ennis Softball 9, MAC Softball 4

MAC softball hosted a doubleheader on March 27 to start their season against Ennis.

It was a tough start to the year with MAC putting in some work offensively to try and beat the Lady Mustangs. However, Ennis was coming into this game with a road win on the mind.

Multiple early runs scored helped Ennis define this one. MAC struggled to keep up with the pace and, while not getting run-ruled, slowly dropped this one. They managed just under half the run-scoring production that Ennis had as they lost 9-4 in their season opener.

Ennis Softball 7, MAC Softball 3

Ennis was looking for the sweep on March 27 as MAC softball tried to rebound after a tough loss to start the year.

For the Lady Mustangs, it was much of the same as they started the game off strong once again. While it was a lower-scoring game, MAC was unable to find a rhythm that could stop Ennis.

Ennis managed to find opportunities at the plate more frequently as MAC struggled to get on base. Despite junior GG Hawk’s ability to get on base via walks, they were never able to get ahead as a team.

MAC lost out as Ennis got the sweep 7-3. That drops MAC to 0-2 to start the year.

    Polson junior Adrienne Crocket takes a swing against Belgrade on March 27 at the Polson Softball Complex. (Max Dupras/Leader)
  

    Senior Jada Domebo pitches against Ennis on March 27 at St. Ignatius High School softball field. (Caroline Roesch Photo)
  

    Sophomore Bella Ellison pitches against Ennis on March 27 at St. Ignatius High School softball field. (Caroline Roesch Photo)