Kats state playoff hopes hinge on this week
Columbia Falls softball team’s state playoff hopes will come down to the last week of the season. The Kats lost May 10 to Polson 7-5. A win would have secured the team a playoff spot, but the score could still prove advantageous for the girls, even without the victory.
Polson was up 7-1 in the top of the seventh when Shaun Rowe hit a grand slam to make it 7-5. The score gives the Wildkats a run differential advantage in the event of a tie with the Pirates at the end of the season, because the Kats beat Polson earlier this year 8-3.
Libby, Polson and Columbia Falls are currently tied for second in the conference at 3-3. The top three teams advance to state. Frenchtown has locked down the conference crown with a 6-0 record.
The Kats face Libby away Thursday and then wrap up the regular season at home against Frenchtown Friday, when seniors will be recognized.
A Wildcat win over the Loggers doesn’t necessarily mean a playoff berth, because Libby beat the Kats 9-1 earlier this year. If the Kats win by more than eight runs, they’d get a berth. If the Kats beat Libby and the Broncs they’d secure a playoff berth as well — and they’d be the only team in the state to beat Frenchtown this year.
Polson and Libby play in their final game of the season, so the entire playoff picture could come down to the wire. If Columbia Falls beats Libby, and Libby in turn, beats Polson, the Kats would secure a playoff spot.
Outside of the Polson game, the girls had a nice tournament in Butte May 11-12, going 3-1. They beat Laurel 4-1,Livingston 6-0, Miles City 2-1 and lost to Belgrade 6-2.
The Kats continue to get good pitching performances from freshmen Winter Kemppainen and Ashley Trueblood. Kempainnen threw a shutout against Livingston. Rowe and Tiffany Hummer continue to swing a hot bat and Niki Birky and Ciarra Holm also had solid games. Frenchtown is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Columbia Falls 4, Laurel 1
Laurel 000 001 0 - 1 3 1
Columbia Falls 000 004 x - 4 3 2
Tara Russell and Kayla Hallock. Ashley Trueblood and Erika Nelson.
LAUREL - Brittany Goodson 0-3, Kelcie Wood 1-2, Haylee Gallegos 0-3, Hallock 1-3, Russell 0-3, Emily Smarsh 1-2, Maurissa Gunn 0-3, Kylie Goodson 0-3.
COLUMBIA FALLS - Tiffany Hummer 0-3, Jaylynn Cantu 1-2, Shaun Rowe 0-2, Niki Birky 0-1, Madison Sandefer 1-2, Kathrin Jetty 0-2, Jordan Lefebvre 0-2, Ciarra Holm 1-2.
RBI - Holm 2.
Columbia Falls 6, Livingston 0
Columbia Falls 020 31 - 6 14 0
Livingston 000 0 - 0 3 0
Winter Kemppainen and Tiffany Hummer. Hailey Dowdell and Cassidy Versland. W - Kemppainen. L - Dowdell.
COLUMBIA FALLS - Tiffany Hummer 3-3, Ciarra Holm 0-4, Shaun Rowe 1-2, Niki Birky 1-2, Madison Sandefer 1-3, Kathrin Jetty 2-3, Tori Price 1-3, Catie King 3-3, Winter Kemppainen 2-3.
LIVINGSTON - Jacey Schleicher 0-2, Haley Dowdell 1-2, Kiersten Churchwell 1-2, Hailey Versland 0-2, Meadow Ingram 1-2, Katie Lynn Kraus 0-2, Cassidy Versland 0-2, Alexandra Schaeffer 0-2, MacKenzie Corder 0-1.
2B - Hummer, Kemppainen. HR - Rowe.
C-Falls, 2, Miles City 0
Miles City 000 000 - 0 1 3
Columbia Falls 100 10x - 2 4 0
Lauren Wolfe-Petroff and Shelby Ries. Ashley Trueblood and Kathrin Jetty. W - Trueblood. L - Wolfe-Petroff.
MILES CITY - Lauren Wolfe-Petroff 0-2, Caitlin Shipp 1-3, Shelby Ries 0-3, Taylor Jones 0-2, Dani Finn 0-2, Megan Licht 0-2, Ashlee Hyatt 0-1, Chelsea Davis 0-2, Jamie Gierke 0-1, Gabby Richards 0-1.
COLUMBIA FALLS - Tiffany Hummer 2-3, Ciarra Holm 0-3, Shaun Rowe 2-3, Niki Birky 0-1, Tori Price 0-1, Madison Sandefer 0-2, Carlee Brown 0-1, Kathrin Jetty 0-2, Winter Kemppainen 0-1, Catie King 0-1, Ashley Trueblood 0-2.
2B - Rowe.
Belgrade 6, C-Falls 2
Columbia Falls 000 002 - 2 6 3
Belgrade 000 411 - 6 13 1
Ashley Trueblood and Erika Nelson. Kristina West and Taylor Hill. W - West. L - Trueblood
COLUMBIA FALLS - Tiffany Hummer 1-3, Ciarra Holm 0-3, Shaun Rowe 1-3, Niki Birky 1-3, Madison Sandefer 1-3, Erika Nelson 2-3, Kathrin Jetty 0-3, Jaylynn Cantu 0-3, Jordan Lefebvre 0-3.
BELGRADE - Justine Taylor 1-4, Kristina West 2-4, Morgan Wandler 4-4, Taylor Johnson 0-4, Taylor Hill 1-4, Annie Prickett 1-3, Allison Alstrom 2-3, Joey Severson 2-3, Rylee Cygan 0-3.
RBI - Birky; Wandler. 2B - Hummer, Nelson; Wandler 2.
Polson, 7, C-Falls 5
Columbia Falls 100 000 4 - 5 6 1
Polson 200 320 x - 7 12 1
Ashle Trueblood, Winter Kemppainen (6) and Erika Nelson. Shalaina Duford and Jaylin Kenney. W - Duford (10-5). L - Trueblood.
Columbia Falls - Tiffany Hummer 1-4, Jaylynn Cantu 0-3, Shaun Rowe 2-3, Niki Birky 0-4, Madison Sandefer 1-3, Nelson 0-3, Kathrin Jetty 1-3, Jordan Lefebvre 0-2, Ciarra Holm 1-3, Tori Price 0-0, Catie King 0-1
HR - Rowe. 2B - Hummer, Rowe. RBI - Rowe 5
Polson - Ashley Johnson 2-3, Riley Kenney 0-3, Shalaina Duford 2-4, Martina Marquardt 2-4, Heidi Rausch 2-3, Jaylin Kenney 2-2, Jessica Bagnell 1-2, Makaliah Wilson 0-2, Jordan Evertz 1-3.
2B - Rausch 1, J. Kenney 1, Bagnell. RBI - Johnson 1, J. Kenney 4, Bagnell 1, Evertz 1.