Wildkats down Loggers in sofball

COLUMBIA FALLS - No pansies allowed!

At least not on the Columbia Falls softball field on Thursday.

In the snow, sleet, wind and rain, the Columbia Falls Wildkats scored seven runs in the fifth inning to down visiting Libby 11-7 in a matchup of two of Northwestern A's hardest hitting softball teams.

All in all, the Wildkats (6-0, 3-0) totalled 17 hits while Libby was no slouch with 10.

"Cold day. The weather affected our girls a little bit ... but we both were playing in the same weather," said Libby coach Dean Thompson.

It was Libby that started off with the hot hand. The Loggers scored three first-inning runs on three hits and were up 3-2 heading into the fifth.

"We came back again. We spotted them three and then we came back from there," said Wildkat coach Dave Kehr.

"It was tough to start in the conditions. It was snowing pretty hard there at the start," he said.

The fifth started innocently enough. Columbia Falls trailed 3-2 when Wildkat Niki Birky led off. Birky was facing a 1-2 count when she got hit with a pitch.

Six hits and an error later, Columbia Falls was on top to stay.

"(Libby's pitcher) struggled a little bit in the inning, went 3-1 on a lot of girls and we just had a lot of timely hits," Kehr said.

"We couldn't run the bases hard on them - good catcher behind the plate, but I just can't say enough about everybody hitting. We are hitting the ball well - one through nine. We're just getting on (base). Every hit scored some runs," Kehr said.

Libby bounced right back with four runs in the top of the sixth to close to 9-7.

"We had that one inning where we struggled a little bit and gave them seven runs, but then we came back and started hitting the ball," Thompson said.

"We hit the ball really well starting off and then ... well, we had two innings where we hit. We need to hit continually throughout to play with these guys.

"Shaun (Rowe) pitched a great game and they hit the ball well," Thompson said.

"They're a great hitting team. They're going to hit the ball all the time," Kehr said.

But Columbia Falls answered immediately with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to stretch the lead to four runs.

Rowe led Columbia Falls at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Madison Sandefer was 3-for-4 and Jordan Lefebvre was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI.

For Libby (3-2, 2-1), Alysha Martin was 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. Jaime Gilden was 2-for-4.

"Overall, we just played an average game for us. We have to clean things up. But it is early. We have Easter break, then we have Sandpoint on Tuesday," Thompson said.

The Wildkats head to Polson on Thursday.

"I'm looking forward to that," Kehr said.

Libby 300 004 0 - 7 10 3

Columbia Falls 100 172 x - 11 17 1

Taylor Armstrong and Lexie Hageness. Shaun Rowe and Erika Nelson. W - Rowe. L - Armstrong.

Libby - Jaime Gilden 2-4, Lexie Hageness 1-2, Kim Tangen 1-2, Alysha Martin 2-4, Taylor Barton 1-4, Taylor Armstrong 1-4, Alyssa Walker 0-3, Stacey Oedewaldt 1-4, Brooke Rosling 1-3.

3B - Martin. 2B - Hageness. RBI - Hageness 2, Martin 1.

Columbia Falls - Jessica Owens 3-5, Renae Nelson 1-5, Shaun Rowe 3-5, Niki Birky 1-2, Erika Nelson 0-4, Madison Sandefer 3-4, Kathrin Jetty 2-4, Tessa Cowan 1-3, Jaylynn Cantu 1-1, Jordan Lefebvre 2-4.

2B - Rowe, Birky, Lefebvre. RBI - Owens 1, Rowe 3, Birky 2, Jetty 1, Cowan 1, Cantu 1, Lefebvre 2.