Coach Jon Zigler and his Plains Trotters look to batten down the hatches and ride out the softball season, hopefully without further delays. And it will be a busy ride for the Trotters these last few weeks.

After a spring full of being battered around by the weather and being forced to reschedule several games, the Trotters have a busy couple of weeks on tap now. After playing at Thompson Falls Tuesday, the Trotters are set to visit Anaconda Friday and host Deer Lodge Saturday.

The following week, the Trotters will wrap up regular season action with three important conference games in two days, playing at Eureka Wednesday, May 13 and hosting MAC for a varsity doubleheader in Plains May 14.

The fate of the Western B divisional tournament play-in game, between the fourth and fifth place teams in the Northern conference the following week, likely hangs in the balance.

In action last week, the Trotters lost a high-scoring 16-14 contest to Thompson Falls in Plains Monday, April 27, and then fell 5-3 to Troy in a pitcher’s duel at Troy Saturday.

Zigler said Bri Kulawinski pitched very well and that Taylor Saner continued to swing a hot bat for Plains in Troy, but that a lack of offense at key junctures ended up dooming the Trotters.

“Bri really pitched great and our defense played a very solid game behind her,” he said. “I was very pleased with our pitching and defense. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the timely hits with runners on base.”

Still the Trotters led 3-0 into the bottom of the fifth inning. Troy scored two runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth to move to the hard-earned win.

Saner, who is sporting a team-leading .522 batting average on the season, went three for three with a double and a run scored to lead the Trotters in Troy, Claire Lakko was one for three with an RBI, Montana Taylor one for three with a run scored, Randi Kilgore one

for four with an RBI, Emery Josephson also was one for four, and Kulawinski and Cooper Spurr added runs batted in.

The game with Thompson Falls April 27, which was delayed by rain for about half an hour at one point, turned out to be a slugfest that went Thompson Falls’ way late.

The Trotters roared out to a 6-0 lead after two innings but the rival Hawks came out swinging after that to win.

A freshman, Josephson smacked her first career home run and finished with two hits and two runs scored, another freshman, Kulawinski went three for four with an RBI and four runs scored, Saner was two for three with a double, two runs and two RBI, Kassy French was two for four with two RBI, Montana Taylor one for four with two runs and two RBI, Randi Kilgore two for four with a run, Claire Lakko three for five with a run and an RBI, Taryn Meredith one for three with a run and Spurr one for two with a run and two RBI.