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Wildkats march into State A softball semi

by Daily Inter Lake
| May 26, 2023 10:30 PM

BELGRADE — Into the State A semifinals are the Columbia Falls Wildkats, a hard-hitting bunch that won their 22nd and 23rd games on Friday.

First Aspen Dawson drove in five runs in a 16-3 win over Hamilton, in a game delayed to Friday morning by Thursday’s rain; then the Wildkats (23-3) handed Billings Central just its second loss, 4-3.

They’ll play Laurel, which beat Polson 15-6 and Havre 3-0, in Saturday’s 10 a.m. winner’s bracket semifinal. The loser can do no worse than third.

In other action, Libby bounced back from a 10-4 loss to Havre with a 14-10 win over Hardin.

The Loggers then squared off with Polson late Friday. The Pirates won that loser-out battle 11-2, staying alive into Saturday’s action. They play Billings Central at 8 a.m.

Libby ended up 15-13.

Columbia Falls 4, Billings Central 3

Sophie Robbins came up large, hitting a two-out, 2-run single in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie with the Rams.

Maddie Moultray, who threw a complete game four-hitter, worked around a two-out RBI single in the seventh by striking out the next batter for the win. She gave up one earned run, walking four and striking out eight.

It was a scoreless game — GG Haney went the distance for the Rams, striking out seven — until Billings Central (17-2) loaded the bases and pushed across a run on an error in the fifth inning. Then in the bottom of the fifth the Wildkats’ Demye Rensel hit a two-out, 2-run homer to get her team in front 2-1.

Central scratched out a run in the sixth to tie it the sixth; after Robbins’ big hit, the Rams had the tying run on base in the seventh but couldn’t get the equalizer.

BC Rams 000 011 1 - 3 4 0

C-Falls 000 022 x - 4 7 2

Gianna Haney and Ally Kowalczyk. Maddie Moultray and Demye Rensel.

BILLINGS CENTRAL — GG Hastings 0-3, Lydia Todd 0-3, Brook Thompson 1-3, Madge Prill 0-4, Allene Johnson 0-2, Krista Gauslow 0-3, Haney 1-3, Kowalczyk 1-3, Courtney Hofer 1-2.

COLUMBIA FALLS — Tayler Lingle 1-3, Aspen Dawson 0-3, Moultray 0-3, Haden Peters 1-3, Sydney Mann 1-3, Maddy Collins 2-2, A Reid 0-0, Sophie Robbins 1-2, Kyrah Trenkle 0-2, Rensel 1-2.

2B — Lingle. HR — Rensel. RBIs — Todd, Thompson, Haney, Rensel 2, Robbins 2.

Columbia Falls 16, Hamilton 3

The Wildkats put away the Broncs with an 11-run fourth inning — Dawson drew a bases-loaded walk for the first run, then hit a grand slam to cap the rally — for a 16-2 lead.

Dawson scored three runs. Haden Peters had a double and a homer, scored twice and drove in two runs. Maddy Collins had a 2-run homer in Columbia Falls’ 4-run first inning.

Tayler Lingle had three hits and scored three times from her leadoff spot, and Rensel had three hits.

Moultray allowed four hits, no walks and two earned runs. She fanned 11.

Hamilton 000 211 - 3 4 4

C-Falls 401 (11)x - 16 13 2

B Johnson and M Fischer. Moultray and Rensel, Bella Mann.

HAMILTON — M Johnson 2-3, A Flynn 1-3, C Cole 1-2, T Jackson 0-2, D Ekin 0-2, B.Johnson 0-2, H Beall 0-2, M Fischer 0-2, C Kennedy 0-2.

COLUMBIA FALLS — Lingle 3-3, R Ward 0-0, Dawson 1-3, Moultray 2-3, Peters 2-4, Mann 1-3, Collins 1-3, Robbins 0-2, Trenkle 0-2, Reid 0-0, RFensel 3-3, Bella Mann 0-0.

2B — Moultray, Peters, S.Mann. HR — Flynn, Collins, Peters, Dawson. RBIs — Flynn 2, M.Johnson, Dawson 5, Rensel 2, Collins 2, Peters 2, Moultray, Mann.

Libby 14, Hardin 10

Phoenix Vincent’s game-tying, two-run homer sparked a six-run seventh inning for the Loggers (15-12), who led 6-0 early then trailed going into their final at-bats.

A bases-loaded walk issued to Madison Vincent put Libby ahead for good; Paislee MacDonald followed with a base hit to make it 12-10, and Kynzee Boehmler’s 2-run single capped the scoring.

MacDonald then threw the final inning to close out the win.

Libby 600 002 6 - 14 10 3

Hardin 001 432 0 - 10 8 6

Mackenzie Foss, Paislee MacDonald (7) and Kinzee Boehmler. A Nedens and n/a

LIBBY — MacDonald 3-3, Boehmler 2-5, Foss 1-5, Jossalyn White 1-4, Phoenix Vincent 1-4, Jaycee Wilson 0-1, Peyton Waggoner 1-4, Lyndee McElmurry 1-3, Madison Vincent 0-2, Destiny Crawford 0-1.

HARDIN — M Uffelman 1-5, B Nordquist 1-5, Nedens 1-3, Palicne 2-4, Whiteman 1-4, Fisher 0-2, Spotted Bear 2-3, Skiter 0-1, Krieger 0-3.

2B — Palicne 2, Nedens, Spotted Bear. 3B — White, Uffleman. HR — P. Vincent. RBIs — MacDonald 3, Boehmler 2, P.Vincent 2, Wilson, M.Vincent, Uffelman 3, Palicne 2, Nordquist, Whiteman.

Havre 10, Libby 4

The Loggers led this game 3-0 only to give up eight straight runs to the Blue Ponies.

Camille Keeley’s RBI single broke a 3-3 tie and put Havre ahead for good in the fourth inning; two errors helped the Blue Ponies score four times in the fifth.

Peyton Waggoner hit a solo homer for Libby in the sixth inning.

Avery Carlson’s solo homer sparked a 3-run third inning for Havre.

Libby 021 001 0 - 4 12 2

Havre 003 142 x - 10 12 1

Foss, MacDonald (6) and Boehmler. Ell Verploegen and n/a.

LIBBY — MaCdonald 1-4, Boemhler 0-3, Foss 1-3, Mylie Rayme 0-0, White 2-4, P.Vincent 2-4, Wilson 2-3, Waggoner 2-4, McElmurry 1-4, M. Vincent 1-3.

HAVRE — Avery Carlson 2-5, Lizzi Haney 1-4, Camille Keeley 1-3, Molly Huse 1-4, Jersi Morse 2-2, Hannah Gingery 3-4, Verploegen 1-4, Camree Oliver 0-2, Dani Wirtzberger 1-3, Rachel Jette 0-0.

2B — P. Vincent, Carlson, Morse. HR — Waggoner, Carlson. RBIs — P.Vincent, Wilson, Waggoner, Carlson 2, Gignery, Verploegen, Oliver, Wirtzberger, Haney, Kelley.

Polson 11, Libby 2

The Loggers led 1-0 before the Pirates (18-8) exploded for 11 runs in three innings.

Avery Starr’s RBI single capped a 3-run fifth inning for Polson; Olivia Jore’s 3-run homer put the Pirates up 9-1 in the sixth.

Jossalyn White hit an RBI single in the fourth inning for Libby, and Mackenzie Foss clubbed a solo home run in the sixth.

Nikki Kendal, Caitlyn Ward, Tyneesha Brown and Mckenna Hanson all scored two runs for Polson. Starr went the distance in the circle, scattering nine hits with no walks. She struck out nine.

Polson 000 036 2 - 11 9 3

Libby 000 101 0 - 2 9 3

Avery Starr and Carli Maley. Foss, MacDonald (6) and Boemhler.

POLSON — Nikki Kendall 1-3, Mckenna Hanson 1-2, Maley 1-4, Olivia Jore 1-4, Starr 2-4, Kailey Smith 0-4, Ansley Nordberg 1-3, Caitlyn Ward 1-3, tyneesha Brown 1-3, Samantha Rensvold 0-0, Jaja Nichols 0-0.

LIBBY — MacDonald 1-3, Boemhler 1-3, Foss 2-3, White 2-3, P.Vincent 0-3, Wilson 0-3, Waggoner 2-3, McElmurry 1-3, M.Vincent 0-3.

2B — Hanson, Maley, Starr. HR — Jore, Foss. RBIs — Jore 3, Kendall, Hanson, Maley, Starr, Foss, White.

State A Tournament

Belgrade

Friday

Game 5: Havre 10, Libby 4

Game 6: Laurel 15, Polson 6

Game 7: Columbia Falls 16, Hamilton 3

Game 8: Billings Central 10, Frenchtown 0

Game 9: Libby 14, Hardin 10, loser out

Game 10: Polson 18, Livingston 8, loser out

Game 11: Lewistown 13, Hamilton 5, loser out

Game 12: Frenchtown 23, Corvallis 6, loser out

Game 13: Laurel 3, Havre 0

Game 14: Columbia Falls 4, Billings Central 3

Game 15: Polson 11, Libby 2, loser out

Game 16: Lewistown 5, Frenchtown 3, loser out

Saturday

Game 17: Billings Central (17-2) vs. Polson (18-8), loser out

Game 18: Havre (20-5) vs. Lewistown (15-10), loser out

Game 19: Laurel (15-5) vs. Columbia Falls (23-3), 10 a.m., semifinal

Game 20: Winner 18 vs. Winner 17, 10 a.m., loser fourth

Game 21: Loser 19 vs. Winner 20, noon, loser third

Game 22: Winner 19 vs. Winner 21, championship