Lady Pirates remain undefeated; Maidens win one, drop one
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The Lady Pirates finished off a successful softball season this past week as they downed Columbia Falls, Ronan, and Libby. With the wins, Polson finished 17-4 overall, and 8-0 in the Northwestern A Conference, giving the team the No. 1 seed for the Class A state tournament in Miles City May 26-28.
On May 17, the Pirates traveled to Columbia Falls to take on the second best team in their conference, the Wildkats. With a record of 5-2, Columbia Falls was a true competitor. But the Lady Pirates’ solid defense kept the Wildkats from clawing their way into this one, as Polson won big, 8-1.
At the end of the first inning the game was tied 1-1; however, the sole run by Columbia Falls would be their last.
Polson exploded in the top of the second inning by putting up an impressive four runs to lead 5-1. Both teams went scoreless during the third and fourth innings, before Polson built their lead with another two runs in the fifth.
The Lady Pirates would add another run in the top of the seventh to easily win 8-1.
Kayla Duford and Heidi Rausch led Polson at the plate, hitting 2 for 3, while teammate Sallie Sams hit a solo home run.
For the Wildkats, Jessica Owens and Shaun Rowe both finished the game, combining for two hits in the loss.
On Friday, the Lady Pirates narrowly escaped a conference loss when they hosted Libby on senior night in Polson. Both teams were scoreless the first three innings. The Lady Pirates struck first with a single run in the bottom of the fourth then added another run in the fifth to take a temporary 2-0 lead.
The Lady Loggers rallied in the top of the sixth, scoring a pair of runs to tie the game. Polson bounced back with their own pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to double up Libby, 4-2. The Lady Pirates finished strong, keeping Libby offense at bay as they edged the team to remain undefeated in their conference.
Pirate pitcher Shay Duford defeated Stacey Oedwealdt in the circle, picking up the win as she allowed only two runs.
Kodi Woods, Kayla Duford and Ashley Johnson all contributed a pair of hits for Polson.
For the Lady Loggers, Jaime Gilden, Lexie Hageness and Alysha Martin all finished with one hit each.
The Maidens were no match for the powerhouse Lady Pirate softball team as the two faced off in Northwestern A conference play on Thursday, May 19. Not wasting any time, the Lady Pirates set the tone by scoring an impressive eight runs in the bottom of the first to take a convincing 8-0 lead. The Maidens combined for a total of six hits throughout the game, but the Lady Pirates’ relentless defense kept the team from crossing home plate throughout the game.
Polson put up a pair of runs in the bottom of the second, followed by a single run in the third, as the game was called in the fifth inning due to the 10-run margin rule at a final score of 11-0.
For the Pirates, Kodi Woods and Ashley Johnson both had a pair of hits, while Kylie Knutson’s only hit went for a double.
For the Maidens, Marissa McCrea finished with a pair of hits, while Ashleigh Lynch, Katie Andrews and Payge DeLaurenti all finished with one hit each.
The Lady Pirates will travel to Miles City May 26-28 to compete in the Northwestern A state softball tournament.
After falling to Polson, the Maidens faced off against the Whitefish Lady Bulldogs. The team jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first before extending the lead to 4-0 in the second inning.
With impressive defensive play, the Maidens held the Lady Bulldogs to only two runs throughout the game, the first coming in the bottom of the fourth, and then another in the sixth. A four-run fifth inning brought the score to 8-1, enough for the Maidens to walk away with a 10-2 victory.
Freshman pitcher Alaina Madsen picked up the win in the circle, as she allowed seven hits, defeating Emma Baldonado of the Lady Bulldogs.
Maiden third baseman Payge Delaurenti led her team at bat as she finished 3 for 4, with a double and an RBI. Teammate Marissa McCrea finished the game with a pair of hits, while Madsen, Katie Anders, Ashleigh Lynch and Jasmine Bocksnick all contributed one hit each.
For Whitefish, Madison Tveidt and Emily Stiver both went 2 for 3, while Madison Cross and Kaia Morrison both added a hit.
Even though the Maidens finished the season winning their last five of six, their 0-6 record at the beginning of the year prevented a place at state, as only the top three teams in the conference advance.
The team’s only loss during their successful run was to Polson on Thursday, during an emotional night when the Maidens wore royal blue in support of their coach, Tom Peterson, who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer.
“We played our best ball at the end of the season, like we should,” Assistant Coach Steve Woll said. “Our season started pretty rough, which hurt us.”
Woll added the team is young, and will be tough to beat next year.
One player to look out for is Alaina Madsen, who this year as a freshman, surprised her team with stellar performances as a replacement pitcher after Bethany Colman injured her arm mid-way through the season.
“She just got better and better as time went on,” Woll said.
“We only have three seniors and two juniors,” he added. “Next year we will be a force to be reckoned with.”
