Polson, Ronan teams do well at Splash tournament
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POLSON – Polson’s Splash Classic had players and fans temporarily splashing around this year. Heavy afternoon thunderstorms on Saturday kept the players from the field for around an hour, before drying out. The tournament continued to be a big hit, as the tournament is now one of the largest in the state. Approximately 1,000 parents and players from 32 ASA softball teams came from the surrounding area to battle it out in four age groups: 16U, 14U, 12U, and 10U. The teams were all after one thing: gold.
In the 16U final, it was essentially round two of the state Class A championship between Polson and Frenchtown, where approximately half of both the Frenchtown Fury and Polson Purple Rain athletes played in the Class A championship. This time around, Frenchtown prevailed as they kept the Purple Rain offense at bay, winning 9-2. Glacier’s Emerald Fast pitch took third in the 16U, as they defeated the Palouse Thunder.
Glacier Emerald Fast pitch took first in the 14U bracket after they defeated the Ronan Avalanche 6-2. Polson’s Lakers took third after they defeated Frenchtown Fury 6-0.
In the 12U age group, Polson’s Purple Wave took first after they defeated the Glacier Emerald’s Fastpitch 9-5. Northwest Wildfire, who traveled from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, defeated the Capital City Thunder, 8-3 to take third.
Frenchtown picked up their second gold of the tournament after they crushed the Glacier Emeralds 19-1. Ronan’s Rim Rocks took fourth in after they were edged by the Anaconda Cyclones 11-10.
Organizer Tom Kenney says Polson’s softball teams have benefited from hosting the annual tournament.
"A lot of people look forward to this,” he said. “Hosting the tournament has definitely helped Polson softball build a good reputation."
The tournament also brings a welcome boost of revenue to the city throughout the weekend. Tournament proceeds help fund Polson’s four traveling softball teams and allows the league to give every child a chance to play for free.
A handful of games were played on Friday to kick off the three-day event. Polson’s Purple Rain played the Glacier Emeralds in 16U, where Polson won decisively 6-1.
In the 14U age group, the Ronan Avalanche started the weekend off with a solid performance against the Anaconda Cyclones, winning 9-0. Also in 14U, the Emeralds edged the Polson Lakers 3-4. In other action, Columbia Falls fell to the Polson Lakers 5-0.
For the 12U age groups, Polson’s Purple Wave defeated the Emeralds 6-3, while the Emerald’s Green defeated the Anaconda Cyclones 9-1.
In 10U game play, the Emeralds defeated the Polson Little Lakers 12-10. The Ronan Rim Rocks started their tournament run strong with a 7-6 victory over the Anaconda Cyclones.
