James' grand slam lifts Polson over Butte Central
The Daily Inter Lake
BUTTE - The defending champs are on the right track.
The Polson Pirates used a grand slam home run by Amanda James in the bottom of the fifth inning Thursday to beat Butte Central 6-4 in their first game at the Class A state softball tournament in Butte.
James' blast to center field came with two outs. It was her third home run of the season.
The Pirates led 1-0 after the first inning, and the Maroons tied it at 1-all in the fourth. Butte Central, which beat Billings Central in the opening round, scored once in the sixth on a solo home run by Kellie O'Leary and twice in the seventh, but Polson's fifth frame proved the difference. Kacey Daily had a solo home run in the seventh.
Dakota Peterson (17-4) scattered eight hits for the complete-game win, and Staci Benson and Amanda James led the Pirates with two hits apiece. Maggie Gordon and Rochelle Woods also had base knocks.
Polson beat Butte Central during the regular season, 7-4.
Polson faces Corvallis at 3 p.m. today in championship-bracket action
Polson and Corvallis split during the regular season.
Butte Central 000 101 2 - 4 8 1
Polson 100 050 x - 6 6 2
Kelli O'Leary and Brooke Pokorny; Dakota Peterson and Caitlyn Vassar. W - Peterson (17-4). L - O'Leary (14-10).
BUTTE CENTRAL (14-11) - Pokorny 1-4, Saidee Johnston 1-4, Quinn Peoples 0-4, MacKenzie Doherty 0-0, Amber Orizotti 1-4, O'Leary 2-3, Hannah Manion 0-2, Kacey Daily 2-3, Kylie Orizotti 0-3, Kourtney Kambich 0-2, Brianne Krzan 1-1.
POLSON (19-4) - Maggie Gordon 1-3, Staci Benson 2-3, Sarah Newton 0-3, Rochelle Woods 1-3, Amanda James 2-3, Vassar 0-2, Peterson 0-2, Liz Simshaw 0-3, SuSan Perez-Tenas 0-3, Charlee Jenson 0-0.
Frenchtown 4,
Whitefish 3
BUTTE - The Whitefish Lady Bulldogs were 60 feet from tying their opener.
The Bulldogs scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning against Frenchtown and had the tying run on third base, but just came up a bit short to last year's Class A state runner-up Frenchtown.
"It was a great game," said Whitefish coach Dave Dachs. "We had no errors and they had two.
"I couldn't be prouder of the girls. They played a great game against a great team," Dachs said.
Frenchtown had downed Whitefish earlier this year by the 10-run rule.
"To come back and play seven innings like that with them was a good feeling," he said. "It was a total team effort."
The Bulldogs take on Butte Central in loser-out action at 9 a.m. today.
Whitefish 000 010 2 - 3 3 0
Frenchtown 200 011 x - 4 7 1
Torey Ost and Desiree Clarke; Shelby Russ and Erin Maxted. W - Russ. L - Ost.
WHITEFISH (7-16) - Adele FauntLeRoy 1-3, Ost 0-3, Clarke 1-4, Hailey Mortensen 0-4, Devyn Ost 0-2, Shannon Holmes 1-3, Kristi Whisler 0-3, Taylor Ybarra-Brunty 0-2, Camille Williams 0-3.
FRENCHTOWN (17-4) - Alex Duncan 1-2, Russ 1-3, Noelle Lebsock 0-2, Jennifer Chapman 1-3, Kristy Kees 2-3, Kali Bennett 0-3, Bridget Yarnall 1-3, Lacey Lovell 1-3, Megan Farmer 0-3, Maxted 0-0.
HR - Russ. 2B - FauntLeRoy. RBIs - Russ 2, Chapman, Kees.
Libby 7, Frenchtown 6
Two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning was the difference for Libby.
Shelby Barton, Nicky Lapka and Laice Dedrick had two hits apiece for Libby.
Libby plays Belgrade at 1 p.m. in the championship bracket.
Frenchtown 000 015 0 - 6 9 2
Libby 000 005 2 - 7 7 2
Shelby Russ and Kirsty Kees. Brooke Hageness and Shelby Barton.
FRENCHTOWN (17-5) - Alex Duncan 2-4, Shelby Russ 0-4, Noelle Lebsock 2-3, Jennifer Chapman 0-3, Kristy Kees 2-4, Kali Bennett 1-4, Erin Maxted 0-4, Bridget Yornall 1-3, Lacey Lovell 0-2, Megan Farmer 1-1, Aimee Duncan 0-0.
LIBBY (19-4) - Brooke Hageness 0-4, Shelby Barton 2-4, Nicky Lapka 2-3, Laice Dedrick 2-3, Alysha Martin 0-4, Megan Wedel 1-3, Jordan Refsland 0-1, Emily Monroe 0-1, Kim Klin 0-2, Holly Ciran 0-0, Katrina Wilson 0-3.
2B - Lebsock, Kees. RBI - Lebsock 3, Kees 2, Farmer; Lapka, Dedrick, Martin, Ciran.
Belgrade 15,
Columbia Falls 5 (5)
Columbia Falls got off to a great start with five runs in the top of the first inning. But it was all Belgrade after that.
Ali Cygan had a two-run homer for Belgrade to end the game in the fifth inning. She also doubled.
Brittany Larson also homered for Belgrade.
Amber James went 2-for-3 to lead Columbia Falls.
The Montana Standard reported that the game was halted after the first pitch to the second batter because of wet field conditions and moved from Copper Mountain to Stodden Park, where it was finished after an hour delay.
The Wildkats face Laurel at 11 a.m.
Columbia Falls 500 00 - 5 6 4
Belgrade 404 52 - 15 12 1
Morgan Rowe, Jessica Owens (4) and Amber James. Lauren Torres and Brittany Larson. W - Torres. L - Rowe.
COLUMBIA FALLS - Amanda Milliard 1-3, Tia Yaeger 0-2, Lindsay Nelson 0-3, Amber James 2-3, Kayla Stinger 1-3, Renae Nelson 1-3, Mandy Toavs 1-2, Morgan Rowe 0-2, Cedar Smith 0-0.
BELGRADE - Kelsey Foster 1-2, Megan Bell 3-4, Lauren Torre 1-3, Brittany Larson 1-3, Jill Gue 1-2, Ali Cygan 2-4, Paige Newell 0-0, Ali Morgan 2-3, Kasey West 1-2.
2B - Foster, Bell, Cygan, Morgan, Milliard, Toavs. 3B - Bell. HR - Larson, Cygan. RBI - Bell 3, Larson, Cygan 3, Morgan 2, James, Nelson, Toavs 2.
Columbia Falls 13,
Sidney 9
Amber James went 3-for-4 and homered and Kyla Stinger also hit a home run as Columbia Falls rolled in its tournament opener.
Sidney 024 003 0 - 9 8 3
Columbia Falls 231 322 x - 13 16 4
Natale Rotz and Nicole Ziler. Morgan Rowe and Amber James.
SIDNEY (6-13) - Kayla Fritz 1-4, Kayla Lake 1-5, Kira Lake 1-3, Natale Rotz 0-3, Kelsy Fixen 1-2, Janelle Bullawn 1-3, Nicole Ziler 0-3, Melissa Asbeck 2-4, Janae Moore 1-4, Jana Messer 0-0, Michelle Ryan 0-0.
COLUMBIA FALLS (13-7) - Amanda Milliard 1-4, Tia Yaeger 2-4, Lindsay Nelson 1-4, Amber James 3-4, Kyla Stinger 1-3, Renae Nelson 4-5, Mandy Toavs 0-4, Morgan Rowe 1-4, Cedar Smith 3-4, Cassidee Skiles 0-0.
2B - Moore; Yaeger, L. Nelson, R. Nelson, Rowe, Smith 2. 3B - Kayla Lake. HR - James, Stinger. RBI - Kayla Lake, Kira Lake, Buxlawn, Moore; Stinger, Yaeger 2, James 2, Smith 2.
Class A
State Softball Tournament
Thursday
At Copper Mountain Park in Butte
First round
Butte Central 8, Billings Central 5
Hamilton 9, Laurel 1
Frenchtown 4, Whitefish 3
Belgrade 15, Columbia Falls 5
Second round
Polson 6, Butte Central 4
Corvallis 12, Hamilton 2, 5 innings
Libby 7, Frenchtown 6
Belgrade 15, Columbia Falls 5, 5 innings
Today
At Stodden Park in Butte
Semifinals
1 p.m. - Polson (19-4) vs. Corvallis (20-2); Libby (19-4) vs. Belgrade (18-3)
Loser-out
9 a.m. - Butte Central (14-11) vs. Whitefish (7-16); Hamilton (11-13) vs. Sidney (6-13)
11 a.m. - Frenchtown (17-5) vs. Billings Central (11-10); Columbia Falls (14-7) vs. Laurel (15-8).