Maidens beat Lady Pirates

RONAN - The Ronan softball team picked up its first conference win against Polson who picked up its first conference loss last Tuesday.

"I thought Ronan did a fantastic job," Polson head coach Larry Smith said. "I tip my hat to them. They were well-coached and executed things well."

In just the third time in either team's history, Ronan came out victorious in a 3-0 game.

The Maidens scored early in the game and held tight on defense while holding the Pirates to three hits.

Ronan led off the bottom of the first inning with a single from sophomore Lindsay Clairmont. She advanced to second on a sacrifice hit from sophomore Claire Frank and moved to third on a passed ball. Sophomore Bethany Coleman earned the RBI with a single.

Polson responded with a single from sophomore Riley Kenney, but she was unable to cross the plate. The Pirate's sophomore Ashley Johnson would reach first in the third, but didn't move from there.

Ronan picked up the scoring again in the bottom of the third. Senior Abby Luke got things started with a single before senior Makenzie Middleton laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Luke to second. Lindsay Clairmont hit a double to score Luke from second and earn a 2-0 lead.

Umpires decided to delay the game momentarily at this point as rain began to fall heavily. After a longer than anticipated time, the Ronan grounds crew worked to get the field back into playable condition.

Once the game resumed, Frank was issued a walk. A double steal put Lindsay Clairmont on third and Frank on second. After junior Katie Andrews struck out, Coleman helped herself with an RBI single before the Pirates ended the inning.

For the rest of the game, neither team could get a run across the plate. Freshman Shay Duford was walked in the fourth and junior Sallie Sams were Polson's only base runners. In the bottom of the fourth, Ronan had two runners in scoring position but Polson was able to get out of the inning.

Coleman struck out eight while walking only one. Shay Duford earned six strikeouts.

"I think Coleman pitched great," Smith said. "To hold our team to three hits is a job well done. Her clarity of the pitch was on. She kept control and kept the ball out of the strike zone with our strong hitters."

At the plate, Ronan's Coleman went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a stolen base. Lindsay Clairmont went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, stolen base and two runs.

Polson's three hits came from Kenney, Johnson and Sams.

Ronan

The Maidens went on to lose their next game 3-1 to Columbia Falls last Friday before ending the season on a high note with a 7-4 win over Whitefish on Saturday.

At Columbia Falls, Ronan found a 1-0 lead early before Whitefish put three across in the following innings.

The Maiden's only hit came from sophomore Payge Delaurenti.

The next day, against Whitefish, Delaurenti drove in two runs during the win. She went 1-for-4 but had two RBIs.

Ronan scored four runs in the top of the fourth while Whitefish responded with four runs of their own in the fifth. The Maidens held strong and scored three in the sixth and played strong defense to ward off the Bulldogs.

Coleman went the distance, allowing only eight hits.

Senior Chelsey Bourdon went 2-for-4 with an RBI as Lindsay Clairmont and Andrews each hit a double.

Polson

The Pirates took the sting of the loss tough, Smith said, but will still have a bye in this weekend's state tournament.

"It was a tough loss," Smith said. "They aren't used to losing that game. They still haven't forgotten it and probably won't until the next these two teams play. "

Polson beat Columbia Falls 8-4 last Thursday before losing to Libby 5-4 the next night. With two wins in its last three games, Smith said Polson isn't improving while other teams are.

"We are going the wrong way at the end of the season," he said.

Against the Wildkats on senior night, Polson used a seven-run fourth inning to propel itself to the win. Each Pirate registered a hit as Sams went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

The game was tied at two after the third inning before Libby scored three in the bottom of the fourth. Polson didn't give up and put two across in the top of the seventh, but it wasn't enough for the win.

Juniors Kodi Woods and Kayla Duford each went 3-for-4 and Benson went 2-for-4 with a double as the Pirates managed 11 hits to Libby's six.

The Pirates will play at 4 p.m. today against the winner of the Laurel-Fergus game in the state tournament in Billings.

Smith said it should be a bonus going into the tournament with a bye, but it might have the opposite effect as the team Polson will play will be coming off a win and already had a chance to get the first-game jitters out.

"Our first goal was to win the conference," Smith said. "Now it's on to state."