Maidens get first two wins at Frenchtown tourney
By Trent Makela / Leader Staff
The Ronan High softball team shook their "goose egg" status in style last weekend, getting their first and second wins of the year at the Frenchtown Invitational.
The Maidens (2-9) grabbed their first victory by trouncing Class B-C Florence on Friday afternoon. Their first conference win came on Saturday morning against Central A rival Butte Central (6-6) in a nine-inning thriller.
It was a weekend of highs and lows for Ronan, though, as they let late leads slip away against Columbia Falls and then Whitefish in each day's evening games.
"I'm so happy for the kids. [Getting the first win] was all them, and I can tell you it feels good as a team," Ronan coach Lucky Larson said. "We should've been 4-0 in that tournament, but a couple of things didn't go our way against good teams. These girls have a lot to be proud of."
The Maidens played all four of their games without six players who were attending a school-related trip.
Ronan's roster is expected to be at full strength this week when they resume play against two of the state's best teams. They host Corvallis (10-1) on Thursday (4 p.m. varsity) and travel to Libby (9-2) on Saturday (3 p.m. varsity).
"We haven't lost a game by more than five runs all year - we know we're going to be competitive," Larson said. "I hope we're turning some heads. The schedule doesn't get any easier."
Ronan 23, Florence 8
The Maidens made some minor tweaks in the fourth inning and turned a 4-3 deficit into a nine-run lead. Ten more runs over the next three innings made their first win a blowout.
"My assistant coaches adjusted our hitters in the fourth and we really started to get at their pitching," Larson said. "That's what [the assistants] are here to do."
Ronan pitcher Kaylee Larson helped her own cause with a 4-for-6 effort at the plate, including a double and a home run. She also knocked in four runs.
"I like to see our girls getting on base more. We were able to take their pitcher deep into the count," Lucky Larson said.
Carli Starkel and Jordan Strozzi finished with three hits apiece for the Maidens. Starkel finished with three RBIs and Strozzi two. Kirsten Cordier Kelci Clairmont and Katie Sorrell also knocked in two runs apiece.
"I believe Florence was state champs in Class B-C for three years until they took second last year," Lucky Larson said. "We were playing a very good little team."
Ronan 300 (10)21 7 — 23 18
Flor. 103 4 00 0 — 8 11
W - Larson. L - Ralls.
RONAN — Larson 4-6, Strozzi 3-7, Carli Starkel 3-4, Kallia Orr 1-3, Cordier 2-5, Kelsey Clairmont 2-5, Amanda Bartell 0-4, Allison Crenshaw 1-3, Dani Crockett 0-3, Katie Sorrell 2-2.
FLORENCE — Kayla Schmid 3-5, Kayla Daniels 0-4, Shanna Moore 3-3, Shelby Meuchel 1-4, Chelsea Ralls 0-4, Kaitlyn Rolshoven 2-4, Kelsi Hoagland 0-3, Mercee Warr 0-3, Kayla Pederson 2-4.
Columbia Falls 6, Ronan 5
The Maidens out-hit the Wildkats 8-5, but a fourth lead change in the bottom of the sixth proved too much for Ronan.
"It wasn't one of our greatest games, but that's a tough team," Lucky Larson said. "We just came up one run short. They'll be going to
state and that's guaranteed."
Sophomore Abby Luke, usually an infielder on Ronan's junior-varsity squad, started the game on the mound for the short-handed Maidens. Luke lasted through the sixth, when Starkel took over. The pair combined to give up just five hits.
"Abby pitched very, very well. She did an outstanding job for us," Lucky Larson said. "She kept us right in there. Plus, she just smiles a lot."
Columbia Falls carried a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning before the teams combined for 10 runs over the next three stanzas.
Orr and Crenshaw each knocked in a run for the Maidens.
Ronan 000 131 0 — 5 8
C. Falls 100 203 x — 6 5
W - Walter. L - Luke.
RONAN — Larson 2-3, Strozzi 1-3, Starkel 0-3, Orr 1-2, Clairmont 0-4,
Cordier 1-4, Crenshaw 1-2, Luke 1-3, Sorrell 0-1, Crockett 1-3.
C. FALLS — Renae Nelson 0-2, Tia Yaeger 2-3, Amanda Milliard 2-3, Amber James 0-3, Drew Walter 1-3, Lindsey Nelson 0-1, Cassidae Skiles 0-3, Michonne Cronquist 0-3, Ceder Smith 0-2.
Ronan 5, Butte Central 4 (9)
The Maidens carried a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning before each team traded multi-run jabs to force extra innings. A suicide squeeze in the top of the ninth provided the winning margin for Ronan.
Starkel reached on an error to lead off the ninth. Three Maiden batters later, a sacrifice bunt from Cordier brought her home.
Starter Kaylee Larson tossed a perfect bottom of the ninth against the top of the Butte Central lineup to hang on for the win. She finished with six strikeouts and just two walks.
"This game was another high high for us instead of a low low," Lucky Larson said. "Talk about emotional. I'm so proud of those girls for how they battled back."
The game was recorded as a Central A home win for Ronan.
Kallia Orr and Kaylee Larson finished with two hits apiece for the Maidens.
Ronan 020 000 201 — 5 6
B. C. 000 001 300 — 4 9
W - Larson. L - O'Leary.
RONAN — Larson 2-5, Strozzi 1-5, Carli Starkel 1-5, Kalia Orr 2-4,
Kelsey Clairmont 0-3, Kirsten Cordier 0-4, Katie Sorrell 0-5, Allison
Crenshaw 0-3, Dani Crockett 0-4.
BUTTE CENTRAL — Brooke Pokorny 1-5, Anna Manion 3-5, Kelli O'Leary 0-4, Quinn Peoples 1-2, A. Orizotti 1-3, Kacey Daly 1-4, Kylie Orizotti 0-4, Sadee Johnson 2-4, Kourtney Kambich 1-3.
Whitefish 6, Ronan 2
Luke carried a shutout into the sixth inning in just her second start for the Maidens, but Whitefish heated up for a six-run rally over the final two innings.
Ronan led 1-0 heading into the sixth, but a trio of Maiden pitchers was unable to slow the Lady Bulldogs' bats.
"As coaches we need to do some better things at the end," Lucky Larson said. "Maybe [Luke] got tired at the end. The girls were making the plays and doing everything right - we just need to get our part right."
Ronan was out-hit 6-4 in the defensively-focused contest. Cordier went 2-for-2 to pick up half of those Maidens hits. Clairmont and Kaylee Larson also picked up a single apiece.
W-fish 000 003 3 — 6 6
Ronan 010 001 0 — 2 4
W - Ost. L - Luke.
WHITEFISH — Adele FauntLeRoy 2-4, Torey Ost 1-4, Des Clarke 2-3, Hailey
Mortensen 0-2, Devyn Ost 1-4, Taylor Ybarra-Brunty 0-3, Shelbi Long
0-3, Camille Williams 0-2, Shannon Holmes 0-2.
RONAN — Larson 1-3, Strozzi 0-3, Starkel 0-3, Orr 0-3, Clairmont 1-3,
Cordier 2-2, Sorrell 0-2, Crenshaw 0-2, Crockett 0-2.