Loggers take down Rams at A softball

HAMILTON — Columbia Falls lost a heartbreaker and Libby came to play. 

The Libby Loggers got a double and four runs batted in from Tessa Purdy to back the pitching of Carmen Kohler and knocked off Billings Central 5-2 Thursday in the first round of the State A softball tournament at Hamilton High School. 

Libby (17-5) moved into Friday’s 1 p.m. quarterfinal against Frenchtown, which edged Columbia Falls 4-3 in 10 innings.  

 The Wildkats fell into a loser-out game at 9 a.m. with Polson; the Lady Pirates dropped their first-round game with Laurel, 13-4. 

Libby 5, Billings Central 2 

The Loggers never trailed, going up 2-0 on Purdy’s two-run double in the third inning. in the fifth Purdy hit a two-run single to put her team up 4-1; she eventually came in on Reese Baney’s sacrifice play. 

Kohler allowed five hits and three walks in seven innings. She hit two batters but struck out 11, including the final batter after the game after the Rams had loaded the bases with two out. 

Bently Houston had two hits and scored twice from her leadoff spot and Hadleigh Wood also scored twice for Libby. Maddie Willis hit a double. Grace Keller doubled and drove in both Billings Central runs. 

Frenchtown 4, Columbia Falls 3 

Makenzie Brush’s RBI single in the top of the 10th inning was the difference for Frenchtown (16-6). In the bottom half Onnika Lawrence hit a leadoff triple but ended up getting doubled off third when the Broncs’ Brooklyn Smith tracked down Katie Bulawsky’s fly to center. 

The game was tied after three innings — Lawrence hit a two-run home run to eat up a 3-1 deficit — and stayed that way for six innings. Bulawsky went the distance for the Kats, allowing six hits, a walk and 1 earned run. She struck out nine. 

Frenchtown’s Dizzie Smith also threw all 10 innings in the circle. She allowed seven hits, three walks and two earned runs, and also fanned nine. 

Earlier in the day Brush, Delanie Magnuson and Dizzie Smith homered in the Broncs’ 24-11 first-round win over Havre.

Magnuson and Smith’s were grand slams. Abbi Edwards had three doubles and three RBIs. 

Laurel 13, Polson 4 

Emerson Gunther homered, doubled and drove in three runs for the Locomotives, who took the lead for good, 5-3, with four runs in the second inning. 

The big hit in the second was a two-run single by Sophia Wisecup that tied at 3-3; Laurel then squeezed home the go ahead run. 

Gunther singled home a run in the fourth inning and her two-run home run in the fifth made it 12-3. 

Adrienne Roth threw for Laurel, scattering nine hits and a walk. She fanned three. 

Graci Hammer hit a double and triple for Polson (10-12).  

Libby 3, Ronan 1 

Leah Rusdall drove in two runs in with a second-inning single, Purdy had another RBI and Kohler and Mackenzie Fozz combined on a seven-hitter for the Loggers. 

Kohler went 4 2-3 innings, allowing three hits, three walks and one run. She struck out 12. Foss took over in the fifth and allowed four hits and a walk, fanning four. 

State A 

March 28-30 

Hamilton High School 

Thursday 

Frenchtown 24, Havre 11 

Libby 3, Ronan 1 

Laurel 13, Polson 4 

Lockwood 4, Glendive 1 

Frenchtown 4, Columbia Falls 3, 10 inn. 

Libby 5, Billings Central 2 

Lewistown 3, Laurel 2

Hamilton 9, Lockwood 4

Friday 

Game 9: Columbia Falls (15-6) vs. Polson (10-12), F1, 9 a.m. 

Game 10: Billings Central (18-3) vs. Glendive (8-18), F2, 9 a.m. 

Game 11: Laurel (17-9) vs. Havre (8-11-1), F1, 11 a.m. 

Game 12: Lockwood (14-10-1) vs. Ronan (9-11), F2, 11 a.m. 

Game 13: Frenchtown (16-6) vs. Libby (17-5), F1, 1 p.m. 

Game 14: Lewistown (16-6) vs. Hamilton (18-3), F2, 1 p.m. 

Game 15: Winner 9 vs. Winner 10, F2, 3 p.m. 

Game 16: Winner 11 vs. Winner 12, F1, 3 p.m. 

Game 17: Winner 15 vs. Loser 14, F2, 5 p.m. 

Game 18: Winner 16 vs. Loser 13, F1, 5 p.m. 

Saturday 

Game 19: Winner 13 vs. Winner 14, F1, 10 a.m., semifinal 

Game 20: Winner 18 vs. Winner 17, F2, 10 a.m., loser fourth 

Game 21: Winner 20 vs. Loser 19, F1, noon, loser third 

Game 22: Winner 19 vs. Winner 21, F1, 2 p.m., championship 

Game 23: If necessary, F1, 4 p.m.