Frenchtown pulls away late to upend Lady Pirates

by Dylan Kitzan & Leader Reporter
| May 3, 2012 8:13 PM

POLSON - Heidi Rausch kept her power surge going with a home run and Ashley Johnson added two hits, but the Frenchtown Lady Broncs scored seven runs in their final three trips to the plate to down the Polson Lady Pirates 8-3 on Thursday evening.

Rausch's fourth homer in her last six games gave Polson a 1-0 lead after two innings.

The Lady Broncs loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the third, but Lady Pirate ace Shalaina Duford limited the damage to just one run and helped her own cause with an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play.

The score would remain the same until the fifth, when Frenchtown would take the lead on a solo homer. They threatened for more later in the inning, but again, a twin killing, this time the 6-4-3 variety turned beautifully by second baseman Riley Kenney, got Polson out of trouble.

The Lady Broncs tacked on four runs in the top of the sixth thanks to a three run homer, followed by a solo shot, both with two outs, to stake them to a 6-1 lead.

The Lady Pirates got one back in the bottom of the sixth on a fluke play. Duford led off with a single and Tina Marquardt followed with a walk. Rausch lifted a deep fly ball to right, which was tracked down for an out. Duford tagged and moved to third, but Marquardt was well on her way to second, having not tagged up, when the ball returned to the infield. Frenchtown's second baseman ran the ball back to first before flipping to her teammate for the double play, but during that sequence, Duford snuck home with the Lady Pirates' second run of the game.

Frenchtown added two insurance runs in the seventh, but with the bases loaded and two outs, catcher Jaylin Kenney picked off the runner on third to end the inning.

Polson began to rally in their last trip to the plate, as Jessica Bagnell and Makaliah Wilson reached on singles. Jordyn Evertz grounded a ball to shortstop and Bagnell tried to distract the shortstop by standing in the ball's path. The shortstop booted it, but Bagnell was called out for interference, drawing the ire of Bagnell and head coach Larry Smith.

After Johnson reached on a bunt single to load the bases, Riley Kenney reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Wilson, but that's as close as Polson would get, falling to 7-5 on the season.