Hot, cold 'Kats split with Havre

COLUMBIA FALLS - The bats were fickle Saturday for the Columbia Falls Wildkat softball team.

They were red hot for one game, stone cold in the next.

The Wildkats (2-2) had 11 hits - including four doubles - in a 10-2 first game victory over the Havre Blue Ponies, but mustered just six singles sprinkled over seven innings in a 7-1 second game loss.

"We hit the ball really well the first game," said Columbia Falls coach Dave Kehr.

"They got a 2-0 lead on us, but we came back real well, I thought. (The girls) hit the ball really well and that was basically the story behind that game," he said.

The Wildkats also had a huge sixth inning. Holding a slim 3-2 lead, they got the bats going and brought in seven runs.

"We had a big inning, good baserunning," the coach siad.

"I thought we did a nice job scoring runs."

Niki Birky, Michonne Cronquist, Erika Nelson and Jessica Owens all hit doubles in that game.

Owens was 2-for-4. Sophomore third baseman Shaun Rowe was 2-for-2 with two RBIs.

The second game, though, was all Havre.

The Blue Ponies scored four runs on four hits in the first inning - and the Wildkats never quite got out of the dugout.

"We didn't hit the ball. We had no hits, a couple fielding errors out there. We made some baserunning errors. (The Blue Ponies) are a good team. They hit the ball.

"(Jess) Owens pitched in the hole a little too often, fell behind a lot of batters - and these guys are good hitters," Kehr said.

"They brought a pitcher with a little better velocity and we just didn't get hits," he said.

"They brought two good pitchers, one a little bit slower than the other," he said.

The Ponies opened with a single, then had a couple of bunts go their way. The first popped right over the glove of a waiting Wildkat.

"Those bunts ... if they get down on the ground... we want popups, but two of them just got through on us. It was just a weird thing," Kehr said.

With two aboard, Havre No. 4 hitter Kelli Kelsey stroked a double into center field. From there, the Ponies added two more runs on another couple of hits.

After that, the Ponies added one run in the second, third and fifth innings.

Columbia Falls' one run was in the sixth by Michonne Cronquist.

Ranae Nelson and Madison Sandefer led the Wildkat offense. Nelson was 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot and Sandefer was 2-for-3.

"We just have to keep working on the hitting aspect. But this is only our fourth game," Kehr added.

Columbia Falls is off now until Thursday when it travels to Libby.

Havre 200 000 0 - 2 6 3

Columbia Falls 101 107 x - 10 11 0

Abigail Ita and Chelsea Nottingham. Morgan Rowe and Erika Nelson. W - Rowe. L - Ita.

Havre - Holly Cartwright 0-3, Andrea Nault 1-3, Tabitha Myers 1-3, Kelli Kelsey 1-3, Chelsea Nottingham 1-3, Abigail Ita 0-3, Ashlee Keeling 1-3, Clarissa Martin 0-3, Dylann Williams 1-3.

2B - Nault, Kelsey, Keeling, Williams.

RBI - Kelsey, Nottingham.

Columbia Falls - Ranae Nelson 1-2, Niki Birky 1-2, Shaun Rowe 2-2, Cassidee Skiles 1-2, Michonne Cronquist 1-3, Erika Nelson 1-4, Jessica Owens 2-4, Morgan Rowe 1-3, Tessa Cowan 1-3.

2B - Birky, Cronquist, Nelson, Owens.

RBI - S. Rowe 2, Cronquist 2, Nelson 2, M. Rowe 1.

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Havre 411 010 0 - 771

Columbia Falls 000 001 0 - 1 6 1

Tabitha Myers and Nottingham. Jessica Owens and Nelson. W - Myers. L - Owens.

Havre - Cartwright 1-2, Nault 2-2, Myers 1-3, Kelsey 2-3, Nottingham 1-3, Ita 0-3, Herrig 0-3, Jasmine Chagnon 0-3, Williams 0-3.

3B - Kelsey.

2B - Myers, Kelsey.

RBI - Nault 1, Nottingham 1, Kelsey 2, Herrig 2.

Columbia Falls - R. Nelson 2-4, Birky 0-3, S. Rowe 1-2, Skiles 0-2, Cronquist 1-2, E. Nelson 0-3, Owens 0-2, Madison Sandefer 2-3, Cowan 0-3.