Polson seals first place with win

WHITEFISH — Polson kept rolling this past week, securing first place in Northwestern A softball with a 12-3 win over Columbia Falls and a 9-0 win over Whitefish.

Hosting Columbia Falls, sophomore Sallie Sams went 3-for-3 and hit a triple and senior Sarah Newton went 3-5 with a pair of RBIs and a homer. Junior Staci Benson added three RBIs in the win.

It all started with a big first inning.

With one out, a combination of walks and singles saw the Pirates up 3-0.

When Newton launched a solo homer in the second, the Pirates took the momentum all the way through to finish strong.

Senior Charlee Jenson pitched the win for the Pirates.

Hitting from around the lineup made the difference in that one, head coach Larry Smith said, adding that plenty of players getting multiple hits was the key.

“We were all hitting the ball extremely well,” he said.

It was a big win, as it broke the tie between Polson and Columbia Falls.

“That definitely put us in the drivers seat,” he said. “That was one of our initial goals to win the conference first and then start thinking about state.”

The win means Polson will get a bye through the first round at state, which is easy on the pitching staff, Smith said.

At Whitefish, Polson swung for 17 hits.

An RBI from Newton and senior SuSan Perez-Tenas and a pair from freshman Riley Kenney put Polson up 5-0 in the second inning.

A monster highlight-reel 2-run dinger from Newton in the seventh put  a little extra icing on an already well-frosted cake.

It was right down center, a regular line-drive, Smith said.

“In Whitefish, that’s really a home run because their fence is 20 feet deeper than any of the other parks we play at,” he said.

The team also had RBI singles from Jenson and sophomore Kayla Duford.

Getting some solid hits from Duford, who went 2-4 and senior Rochelle Woods, who went 3-4, is big for his team, Smith said.

“Rochelle has been in a little slump and now she’s caught on. She’s on fire now. That’s what I expect her to do because she was probably our most consistent hitter last year,” Smith said.

Smith was also pleased to see Perez-Tenas hitting strong from the plate.

“She needs to get on. With her speed she can do a lot of damage running the bases,” he said.

Peterson pitched the win at Whitefish.

“She’s getting a little more control and she’s hitting the ball well too. She’s getting her confidence back,” Smith said of Peterson.

For Jenson, starting a lot of games from the mound has been a thrill, since she just began pitching nine months ago.

“I’m just hitting my spots and probably I’ve gained some speed. It’s all more routine now,” she said.

She said her team’s defense goes  a long way to help out, especially Kenney in the outfield and Benson at short-stop.

Polson hosts Libby at 6 p.m. on Friday for the last game of the regular season.