Wildkats take fourth at state A softball tourney

The Columbia Falls girls softball team got by a host of teams in the state A softball tourney in Belgrade last week. But they couldn’t find an answer for the Belgrade Panthers, who beat them twice and the Wildkats took fourth.

The Kats opened the tourney last Thursday with a 21-11 thrashing of Corvallis, but then were blanked by Belgrade in the next round, 8-0. The Panthers held the hot-hitting Kats to just four hits.

On Friday, the Kats bounced back, winning three in a row in the consolation bracket, dropping Miles City, 6-1, Polson 9-6 and Laurel 13-9. The Kats had 20 hits against Laurel and came back from a 5-1 deficit to beat Polson. The Kats tied it up in the seventh and then scored four runs in the eighth for the victory. 

Sydney Hovde went 3 for 5 with two homers in the victory.

But in loser-out action on Saturday, the Kats faced Belgrade again. The girls held a 2-0 lead in the first, but Belgrade answered with 12 runs in the bottom of the inning and the Kats never recovered in a game that was over in five innings.

Frenchtown beat Butte Central for the title. The Kats ended their season at 21-7 overall and while they’ll lose some key seniors, they also have a host of talent returning, including pitcher KJ Schweikert, and sluggers Sydney Hovde and Peyton Kehr. 

Belgrade 16, Columbia Falls 4

Columbia Falls 201 01 — 4 7 3

Belgrade (12)01 3x — 16 10 1

KJ Schweikert, Taylar Putnam (1) and Samantha Collins. Erin Elgas and Kindall Bethke and Katie Hoppe (4). W - Elgas (4-1). L - Schweikert.

COLUMBIA FALLS - Katie Price 1-3, Peyton Kehr 1-2, Jewels Laycock 0-1, Collins 2-3 (2B), Lottie Ellis 2-3 (2B), Sydney Hovde 0-2, Schweikert 0-2, Hannah Freeman 0-2, Morgan Campbell-Queen 0-2, Putnam 1-2.

BELGRADE (19-2) - Skyla Neubuaer 1-3, Judy Taylor 3-4 (2 HR), Jordan Branch 1-2 (HR), Ty Atwood 0-2, Bethke 1-2 (HR), Kalista Pachl 1-2, Shaina Krone 1-3 (HR), Hoppe 1-3, Elgas 1-3.