Kats wallop four at Butte but lose to Polson
The Columbia Falls softball team won four softball games last week but lost the one that they really needed.
The Wildkats beat Glendive 10-3, Lewistown 10-0, Hardin 16-2 and Laurel 12-7 at the Butte Central Tournament on May 8-9, but they lost to conference rival Polson 6-5 away May 7.
The loss to the Polson puts the Kats, who are 4-2 in conference play, in a three-way tie for first place with the Lady Pirates and Frenchtown Broncs in what is easily the most competitive Class A conference.
The Kats gave up five runs in the first inning to Polson as Sarah Rausch nailed a three-run homer in the inning. The Kats battled back with two in the top of the fourth and fifth to make it a game but fell just short.
The Kats will wrap up the regular season with two critical games on the road against Libby on Thursday and Frenchtown on Friday. A win against the Lady Loggers would secure the Kats at least a second-place finish in the conference, as they own the tiebreaker against Polson.
Libby is a dangerous team. They’ve already beaten Frenchtown this year and have improved greatly since the Kats played them earlier this season.
The Kats might be able to carry some of the hitting momentum from the Butte tourney into the Libby and Frenchtown games. The Kats beat Libby 7-3 earlier this season, but lost to the Lady Broncs, 6-1.
Columbia Falls 5, Polson 6
Columbia Falls 100 220 0 — 5 6 4
Polson 501 000 x — 6 9 3
Ashley Trueblood and Breanna Friar. Camas Renault, Haley Fyant (6) and Sarah Rausch.
COLUMBIA FALLS — Carlee Brown 2-4, Peyton Kehr 1-4, Trueblood 2-3, Lottie Ellis 1-3, Friar 0-2, Sydney Hovde 0-1, Alysha Cantu 0-2, Taylar Putnam 0-0, Madi Fetters 0-3, Katie Price 0-3, Kaitlyn Joerner 0-2, Morgan Campbell-Queen 0-1.
POLSON — Jaiden Toth 2-4, Kaelen Wall 2-4, Taylor Brackey 1-4, Hannah Potter 1-4, Rausch 1-4, Lydia Dupuis 0-4, Kaelyn Smith 2-3, Skyla Krantz 0-2, Hannah Fryberger 0-1, Renault 0-2, Fyant 0-1, Laurel Bitterman 0-0.
2B — Trueblood. Brackey, Potter. HR — Rausch. RBIs — Trueblood 3, Friar 2. Brackey, Rausch 3, Smith 1, Krantz 1.
Columbia Falls 10, Glendive 3
Columbia Falls 202 33 — 10 9 4
Glendive 100 02 — 3 5 4
Ashley Trueblood, KJ Schweikert (5) and Breanna Friar, Morgan Campbell-Queen (5). Haylee Storlie and Wyniah Mintz. W – Trueblood. L – Storlie.
COLUMBIA FALLS – Carlee Brown 1-3, Peyton Kehr 0-2, Trueblood 0-3, Lottie Ellis 1-3, Friar 1-3, Alysha Cantu 1-2, Kerry Lanners 0-0, Madi Fetters 1-3, Katie Price 2-3, Kaitlyn Hoerner 2-3.
GLENDIVE – Mintz 1-3, Lexi Pettersen 1-3, Storlie 0-2, Cheyenne Ryan 1-2, Morgynn Buxbaum 0-2, K. Baker 0-1, Paya Torres 1-2, Cheyenne Fisher 0-2, Carrie Nagle 0-1, Averie Skillestad 0-0, Alandra Hartley 1-2.
2B – Friar; Pettersen. HR – Ellis, Price. RBIs – Brown, Ellis, Fetters, Price 3, Hoerner
Columbia Falls 10, Lewistown 0
No box score available
Columbia Falls 16, Hardin 2
Columbia Falls 144 016 — 16 21 3
Hardin 100 100 — 2 6 10
Ashley Trueblood, Taylar Putnam (3) and Breanna Friar. S. Chavez and K. Edgar. W – Putnam. L – Chavez.
COLUMBIA FALLS – Carlee Brown 2-3, Hannah Freeman 1-2, Peyton Kehr 3-5, Trueblood 2-3, Putnam 1-2, Lottie Ellis 3-3, Kerry Lanners 0-2, Friar 1-5, Alysha Cantu 1-1, KJ Schweikert 2-3, Madi Fetters 1-2, Sydney Hovde 1-3, Katie Price 1-2, Morgan Campbell-Queen 1-3, Kaitlyn Hoerner 1-4.
HARDIN – D. Davisson 1-3, A. Uffleman 1-3, A. Bush 2-3, S. Edgar 1-3, A. Schneider 0-2, K. Chavez 0-2, A. Roan 1-2, A. Cannon 0-2, S. Small 0-2.
2B – Brown, Trueblood, Ellis, Cantu, Hovde, Price; Davisson, Bush. HR – Kehr. RBIs – Brown 2, Kehr 2, Ellis, Hovde 2; Uffleman.
Columbia Falls 12, Laurel 7
Columbia Falls 132 60 — 12 5 2
Laurel 100 24 — 7 11 4
Ashley Trueblood, KJ Schweikert (5) and Breanna Friar, Morgan Campbell-Queen (5). Ellie Killdahl, Paige Hodges (4) and Hailey Spitzer. W – Trueblood. L – Killdahl.
COLUMBIA FALLS – Carlee Brown 1-4, Peyton Kehr 2-4, Trueblood 3-4, Lottie Ellis 2-4, Friar 0-3, Campbell-Queen 1-1, Alysha Cantu 3-4, Madi Fetters 1-3, Sydney Hovde 0-1, Katie Price 2-2, Kaitlyn Hoerner 0-2.
LAUREL – Hailey Maurer 2-3, Kylee Hergenrider 0-3, Killdahl 3-5, Spitzer 3-4, Hodges 2-4, Dakota Boehler 0-3, Kaylee Wommack 1-3, Kellie Lense 1-2, Kayla Braden 0-1.
2B – Ellis 2; Maurer, Hodges. HR – Fetters. RBIs – Brown, Ellis 3, Fetters 3; Maurer, Killdahl 3, Spitzer, Braden 2.