Kats drop a pair in softball

Hungry Horse News

The Columbia Falls softball team lost a tight game last week to conference foe Polson 8-6 in their only varsity conference game of the week.

The Kats led 4-1 after 3.5 innings, but Polson responded with five runs in the bottom of the stanza to go up 6-4. In the top of the sixth, the Kats responded with two runs to tie the game at 6 apiece, but Polson scored two in the bottom of the inning and then held on for the win.

The top of the seventh saw some drama. With one out, Wildkat Kerry Lanners singled safely and  Hannah Freeman doubled to place tying runs in scoring position.  KJ Schweikert hit deep fly ball to right field.  If the ball had been dropped, both runs would have scored, but  Polson outfielder Quinn Motichka gloved it on the charge, then uncorked a throw to the plate to try to nab runner who tagged up. Polson catcher Ashley Benson had enough time to field the ball and position herself for the third out, double play to extract the Lady Pirates from inning and preserve the victory.

Sydney Hovde had a double in the loss and Peyton Kehr had two RBIs.

The Kats were supposed to play Stevensville and Corvallis, but that apparently would have given them too many varsity games, so the junior varsity played those.

The Kats blew a 4-1 lead and lost to AA Flathead Tuesday, 7-4 at home. Sydney Hovde had a solo homer in the loss. The Kats had three errors in the contest.The Kats had the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh with no one out, but couldn’t get anyone across the plate.

They travel to the Frenchtown tourney this week.

The girls are now 5-3 on the season.

Columbia Falls 1021020—691

Polson            100 502 x—893

Flathead 100 301 2 — 7 10 4

C Falls 211 000 0 — 4 8 3

Kylee Beccari, Becca Knutson (7) and Jayden Russell (F). KJ Schweikert and Samantha Collins (CF). W — Beccari. L — Schweikert. SV — Knutson.

FLATHEAD — Russell 2-5, Abbie O’Brien 2-4, Knutson 0-4, Kylee Meredith 1-3, Kaileigh Denna 3-3, Riley Chouinard 0-4, Kaitlin Torgerson 1-3, Bailey Nunn 0-3, Beccari 1-2, Caitlin Morrison 0-0.

COLUMBIA FALLS — Katie Price 1-3, Peyton Kehr 3-3, Collins 1-4, Sydney Hovde 2-4, Morgan Campbell-Queen 1-4, Lottie Ellis 0-4, Kerry Lanners 0-3, Hannah Freeman 0-3, Schweikert 0-3.

2B — O’Brien (F). HR — Hovde (CF). RBIs — Beccari 2, Meredith 2, O’Brien, Denna (F); Hovde 2, Kehr (CF).