STATE SOFTBALL: Huntley Project edges Ronan in Class B/C

Ronan couldn’t find its offense when play moved north, causing the top-seeded Maidens to drop a first round game to Huntley Project in the Class B/C state softball tournament on Thursday at Kidsports.

Ronan led 5-2 when play was moved from Conrad Complex, but the always scrappy Red Devils got two runs back in the top of the fourth inning and tied the game in the sixth.

With no scoring in the final inning and a half, the game went to extras, where Huntley Project senior Keera Stookey poked a single to right field to score Kasey Jones and give the Devils a 6-5 lead.

Ronan answered in the home half of the inning with a hit from Courtnee Clairmont scoring Shailee Courville to keep the game alive. With Clairmont on third after an error from Huntley, the Maidens couldn’t find the winning hit in the next at bat, rolling a grounder to the shortstop for the final out of the inning.

Huntley scored twice in the top of the ninth, and in the bottom half Ronan again got a runner to third before flying out to right field to end the game.

“They came out to play,” Ronan coach Kellie Jones Manyhides said. “The state tournament is tough. You can’t overlook anybody whether a one seed or a four seed.”

Ronan drops to loser-out play at noon today, where they will meet Glasgow.

The Scotties dropped a close game with Florence-Carlton, giving up three runs in the top of the seventh inning to fall 6-3.

The late first round games scheduled for Friday will be played at 8 a.m. today with the remainder of the tournament to resume at Kidsports through the weekend.

Florence 6, Glasgow 3

Florence 000 102 3 — 6 11 1

Glasgow 000 030 0 — 3 9 1

Shay Waldbillig, Shannon Byrne (6) and Chloe Arthur (F). Tyra Johnson (G). W — Byrne. L — Johnson.

FLORENCE — Natalie Drozdz 1-4, Byrne 0-4, Natalie Dulac 1-4, Arthur 4-4, Waldbillig 2-4, Kali Leibenguth 1-4, Brooklyn Little 1-3, Sarah Schurg 1-3, Destini Greer 0-3.

GLASGOW — Khloe Krumwiede 0-4, Kennedy Schmidt 2-4, Tiana Johnson 1-4, Abbi Kolstad 1-4, Ty. Johnson 0-4, Tasha Chamberlain 1-3, Kiauna Barstad 1-3, Ziggy Chamberlain 1-3, Lexi Nixdorf 2-3.

2B — Arthur (F); Schmidt, Barstad (G). RBIs — Arthur 2, Little (F); Schmidt 2, Kolstad (G).

Huntley Project 8, Ronan 6, 9 innings

Huntley 200 201 012 — 8 12 4

Ronan 302 000 010 — 6 7 6

Tessa Hultgren and Kasey Jones (HP). Carston Rhine and Sadie Wirz (R). W — Hultgren. L — Rhine.

HUNTLEY PROJECT — Faith Taylor 1-4, Jones 2-4, Hultgren 2-6, Keera Stookey 3-6, Metayah Caster 2-4, Natalie Finch 0-5, Madison Rohrer 1-5, Kama Thom 0-2, Mollee Krum 0-2, Emily Reimche 1-5.

RONAN — Kaitlyn Sassaman 1-4, Gabriella Wirz 3-5, Rhine 1-5, Amanda Morency 0-5, Kiana Brown 0-5, S. Wirz 1-4, Jordyn Clairmont 0-3, Shailee Courville 0-3, Courtnee Clairmont 1-4.

2B — Jones, Stookey (HP); S. Wirz, C. Clairmont (R). HR — Jones (HP). RBIs — Stookey 3, Hultgren 2, Jones 2, Taylor (HP); Rhine, Courville, C. Clairmont (R).