C-Falls, Polson to meet again — at State A softball

HAMILTON — Columbia Falls stayed alive at the State A softball tournament Friday.

So did defending champion Polson.

Now the Northwest A rivals will play at 9 a.m. Saturday, with a state trophy at stake.

The Wildkats (22-4) bounced back from a 7-1 loss to unbeaten Billings Central to oust Butte Central 10-0 later Friday. Polson (19-7) has won three straight since falling to Butte Central in eight innings on Friday: The Pirates beat Lewistown 13-1, Corvallis 11-1 and Havre 12-4.

The Pirates and Kats will play for a third time Saturday; Columbia Falls won the regular season meetings 14-4 and 5-4.

The Northwest A’s third entrant, Ronan, was eliminated by Laurel 10-0.

Frenchtown (21-1) and Billings Central (17-0) play in the winner’s bracket semifinal at 9 a.m.

C-Falls 10, Butte Central 0

Haden Peters hit a two-run homer in the first inning and doubled and scored during the Wildkats’ four-run second.

Sydney Mann went 2-for-3 including a double, scored twice and drove in two; Haylee Lawrrence did the same. The game ended early under the mercy rule.

Maddie Moultray pitched the first three innings, fanning two; Peters finished up, striking out three in two innings.

Butte C. 000 00 - 0 2 2

C-Falls 242 02 - 10 9 1

Sofee Thatcher, Mehring and Keeley. Maddie Moultray, Haden Peters (4) and Demye Rensel.

BUTTE CENTRAL — Mehring 0-1, Thatcher 1-2, Badovinac 1-2, Keeley 0-2, Berger 0-2, Foley 0-2, Creekmore 0-2, Stimatz 0-2, Stillwagon 0-1, O’Rourke 0-1.

COLUMBIA FALLS — Sydney Mann 2-3, Haylee Lawrence 2-3, Aspen Dawson 0-2, Tayler Lingle 0-1, Peters 2-3, Moultray 0-3, Aletheia Fisher 0-3, Abbie Darsow 1-3, Sophie Robbins 0-0, Maddy Collins 0-1, Rensel 1-1, A Bowler 1-1, Annika Reid 0-0.

2B — Badovinac, Lawrence, Mann, Rensel. HR — Peters. RBIs — Mann 2, Lawrence 2, Peters 2, Dawson, Lingle.

Billings Central 7, C-Falls 1

Ally Kowalczyk hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Rams never looked back.

Columbia Falls managed hits by Aspen Dawson, Moultray and Abbie Darsow against hurler Payton Whitehead, who walked one and struck out four.

Aletheia Fisher drove in the lone run.

C-Falls 000 100 0 - 1 3 3

Billings C 300 400 x - 7 7 2

Moultray, Mann (4) and Rensel. Petyon Whitehead and Ally Kowalczyk.

COLUMBIA FALLS — Mann 0-3, Lawrence 0-3, Dawson 1-2, Peters 0-3, Moultray 1-3, Fisher 0-3, Darsow 1-3, Trenkle 0-3, Rensel 0-3, Lingle 0-0.

BILLINGS CENTRAL — Lydia Todd 0-4, Genevieve Hastins 0-2, Whitehead 1-3, Winter Johnson 1-3, Kowalczyk 3-3, Brynn Bohrer 0-3, Portia Bryant 1-2, Krista Gauslow 1-3, Allene Johnson 0-3, Courtney Hofer 0-0, Madge Prill 0-0.

HR — Kowalczyk. RBIs—Fisher, Kowalczyk 2, Todd, Gauslow, Johnson.

Polson 11, Corvallis 1

Mckenna Hanson hit an RBI triple in the first inning and a two-run double in the second, and the Pirates rolled.

Nikki Kendall followed Hanson’s double with a two-run single, putting the Pirates up 7-1.

Katelyn Druyvestein threw five innings of two-hit ball, striking out nine. She walked one.

Polson 250 003 1 - 11 11 2

Corvallis 100 00 0 - 1 3 7

Katelyne Druyvestein, Turquoise Pierre (6) and Mckenna Hanson.

Gabby Kriger, Mel Race (5), Mikee Greenwood (5) and

POLSON — Druyvestein 2-3, Hanson 3-4, Kendall 1-4, Pierre 0-4, Carli Maley 2-5, Avery Starr 1-3, Ashlyn Depoe 0-3, Jaivin BadBear 1-4, Tyneesha Brown 0-1, Anna Vert 1-3, Julia Barnard 0-0.

CORVALLIS — MGreenwood 0-4, Syd Wolsky 1-3, Emma Cashell 1-3, Kaitlyn McCartney 1-3, Kriger 0-3, Ella Dowd 0-2, Trinity McClane 0-3, Soph Cooper 0-3, Jayden Greenwood 0-2.

2B — Hanson, McCartney, Wolsky. 3B — Hanson. RBIs — Hanson 3, Kendall 2, Vert, Druyvestein, Pierre.

Polson 13, Lewistown 1

Turquoise Pierre hit a grand slam and finished with six runs batted in, and Katelyn Druyvestein allowed three hits and no walks in six innings, fanning 11.

Pierre’s slam came in a six-run third inning; she also doubled in the frame. She hit sacrifice flies in the first and six innings. Ashlyn Depoes two-run single made it 13-1, and the game ended after six innings.

Avery Starr followed Pierre’s homer with a solo shot of her own.

Courtesy runner extraordinaire Julia Barnard scored four times.

Polson 106 204 - 13 13 3

Lewistown 000 100 - 1 3 3

Druyvestein and Hanson. K Southworth, Kayla Jensen (3) and Pierr

POLSON — Druyvestein 1-4, Hanson 3-3, Kendall 2-2, Pierre 2-2, Maley 0-4, Starr 1-4, Depoe 1-4, BadBear 1-4, Vert -3, Barnard 0-0, Brown 0-4.

LEWISTOWN — K Foran 0-3, S Sannar 1-3, E Southard 0-3, J Martin 0-3, E Morris 1-2, Addie Vanek 0-1, K Moline 0-3, R Comes 0-2, Southworth 0-3, M Denton 1-2.

2B — Pierre, Hanson. HR — Pierre, Starr, Sannar.

Polson 12, Havre 4

Katelyne Druyvestein hit a grand slam in this one, a blast to left that capped a six-run fifth inning and put the Pirates up 9-2.

Carli Maley had an RBI single in the first as Polson once again jumped out early; Maley added a solo homer to start that big fifth inning.

Druyvestein went the distance on the bump and scattered eight hits. She walked none, and struck out 13.

Havre, which lost to Frenchtown 15-1 earlier Friday, ended up 15-9.

Polson 300 060 3 - 12 12 2

Havre 020 001 1 - 4 8 0

Druyvestein and Hanson. Elle Verpfloegen and

POLSON — Druyvestein 2-5, Hanson 2-4, Caitlyn Ward 0-0, Kendall 0-4, Pierre 0-4, Maley 2-4, Starr 1-1, Depoe 2-3, BadBear 1-3, Vert 2-3, Barnard 0-0, Brown 0-0.

HAVRE — AVery Carlson 2-4, Liz Henry 2-4, Alyssa Oliver 0-3, Mally Muse 1-3, Hannah Gingery 0-2, Kamree Oliver 0-1, Camille Keeley 1-3, Jersi Morse 2-3, Keylee Kline 0-3, Dani Wirzberger 1-3.

2B — Starr, Hanson. HR — Druyvestein, Maley. RBIs — Druyvestein 5, Maley 2, Pierre, Starr, Depoe, Carlson.