Newton leads Lady Pirates past Wildkats

Opposing coaches must wonder what’s in the water in Polson, when the starting pitcher is also the team’s leading scoring threat at the plate that day.

The Polson Lady Pirates finally had some conference competition last week in the form of a much-improved Columbia Falls Wildkats team, but they got the win, thanks in part to two home runs by Sarah Newton — who just happened to pitch a great game, as well.

However, it’s the depth of the Polson bench that is carrying the team now, as both Newton and leading slugger Jaelin Vandeberg are battling injuries, while catcher Brittany Jones is back this week, but pitcher Dylen Zetterberg is still taking it easy.

“Our depth is what is carrying us right now. When we have these players go down with injury, it’s nice to look down the fence and see those kids who will plug a hole in the lineup,” head coach Larry Smith said.

Kaitlyn Vassar started as catcher for Jones, and was relieved by Staci Benson later in the game, while Newton pitched the first four innings, before Dakota Peterson took over.

“Sarah came up with a bad back later in the game, and that was part of my decision to put Dakota in. Dakota did a nice job for us when she came in,” Smith said.

The Lady Pirates won 10-5, but the game was a little closer than the score indicated, and for one or two innings, Polson looked, well, like a normal team, if it weren’t for their timely hitting to pull them through in the clutch.

The Wilkats jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but it was short-lived, thanks to the Lady Pirates’ bats, which kept them in the game despite some miscues in the field that cost them a few runs in the middle of the game.

Kyla McDonald led off with a hit, stole second and then tied the game on a passed ball before Lindsey Rafter hit a stand-up double to keep things rolling. Jaelin Vandeberg then scored Rafter with a triple, and made it 3-1 after scooting home on another passed ball.

Kendra Woldstad then came through with a hit to score Amanda James, before Newton stepped to the plate to crank a two-run homer off the scoreboard to make it 6-1.

In the top of the second, Maggie Gordon gunned down a runner at second trying to stretch a single into a double, but not before the Kats scored again to make it 6-2.

In the top of the third, James had a great 8-6 play to get the tag out at second on what should have been routine hit to centerfield. But in the top of the fourth, Columbia Falls came surging back, aided by three Polson errors in the field, and Polson found themselves defending a one-run lead, 6-5, late in the game.

“Defensively, I think the older kids felt like they had to play a little tougher to make up for the fact that Dylen wasn’t pitching, but they were putting too much pressure on themselves. They need to understand that those younger players we had out there were capable of filling in and doing a good job, which they did,” Smith said.

After getting a couple of strikeouts earlier in the game, Newton decided she’d had enough of the Kats, and knocked another dinger - a solo shot - to left field to make it 7-5.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Pirates put the game out of reach on hits by Rafter and Vandeberg, who scored on a couple of throwing errors to turn a single into an inside-the-park home run to make it 9-5.

Woldstad just missed a home run, knocking one over the left field fence that went foul by a few inches. But Staci Benson, who took over at catcher for an injured Kaitlyn Vassar, had a nice base knock to score James to make it 10-5.

“That’s just the experience of the kids, to bounce back after those errors. They’ve all been through this so many times, having to bounce back and be tough at key points in the game. They reached back on their experience and said ‘Let’s just get this over with,’” Smith said of his players’ resolve.

For now, the Lady Pirates’ biggest concerns are injuries to Vandeberg, Newton, and Zetterberg, who got a better-than-expected bill of health last week after injuring her shoulder in late April. The team was worried she could be out for a while but she got good news from the doctor last week - all things considered.

Vandeberg, meanwhile, has a groin injury from a play during the C. Falls game, and is day-to-day, while Newton is battling a back injury. Both of them could be sidelined for a week or so, but the good news is Browning is the team’s only conference game in the near future, and they’re losing by an average score of about 35-0.

Zetterberg, meanwhile, is taking some tentative steps back. While she batted a little bit in practice this week, she isn’t throwing at full strength, and Smith is making sure she doesn’t overdo it. After all, he’s looking a few weeks down the road at state, and he’s got plenty of talent to keep the team alive.

“We still have a couple of weeks to get her in shape, and she’s coming back a lot faster than anyone expected,” he said of his ace.

The good news is Brittany Jones’ shoulder injury appears to be a thing of the past.

“She took a full practice this week, and did all her throws. She looked up at me with this big smile on her face and said, ‘I’m baaackkk,’” Smith said.

The team will host Browning Saturday, with varsity-only games at noon and 2 p.m.