Maidens top MAC to repeat West softball title

RONAN – Ronan’s first bit of revenge has been served. Now the Maidens have bigger fish to fry.

Taking down cross-county rival Mission-Arlee-Charlo, 7-5, for the West B-C divisional title and avenging a late-season loss to the Bulldogs, Ronan is setting its sights on the state title they didn’t quite capture last season.

To achieve that goal, the Maidens will have to get past one-loss Florence, the defending state champions who MAC felled to reach the divisional title game.

“That’s exactly what we wanted to see happen, and we got it,” Ronan coach Dakota Peterson said.

Despite being swept by the Falcons early this season, Peterson and the Maidens are looking forward to a rematch.

“That’s another game we’re really excited about,” she said. “…We’re a different team from the last time we played them.”

The Bulldogs are also preparing for the season’s climax, and not many teams (perhaps other than Ronan) have been hotter.

“It was definitely a great day beating Loyola and coming back in the afternoon to beat Florence,” Susan Weaselhead, the MAC coach said.

The Bulldogs’ win over previously unbeaten Florence was especially sweet, Weaselhead said, especially after pitcher Courtney Charlo’s rough outing earlier Friday in a win over Loyola.

“Courtney came in against Florence and did the job,” Weaselhead said. “It was nice going into the Ronan game knowing that we were going [to state] anyway.”

Some nifty defense didn’t hurt either. Center fielder Morgan Malatare prevented a few runs with a sweet snag over the fence.

Saturday wasn’t quite as nice for MAC with the title-game loss, but Weaselhead said the Bulldogs are still confident headed to Great Falls.

“It’s a disappointment for the girls,” she said. “They played their hearts out. … But I think we’re going in really strong to the state tournament.”

MAC starts the tournament against the No. 3 seed from the east, the Conrad-Choteau co-op today at 3:30 p.m. Ronan takes on Glasgow in the first round at 1:30. All games are at the Multi-Sport Complex in Great Falls.

from Friday, May 23

First round

MAC 6, Loyola 3

MAC311 010 0 – 6 11 1

Loyola 200 000 1 – 3 6 3

Hannah Hirning, Makaya Resner (6) and Brianna Mitchell, Joslynn Haran (6). Courtney Charlo, Jaycee Andersen (3) and Alyssa Doty.

MISSION-ARLEE-CHARLO – Mikaylan Roylance 1-3, Jordyn Eichert 2-4, Connor Smith 2-5, Doty 5-2, Emilie Charlo 0-3, Morgan Malatare 0-3, C. Charlo 1-4, Andersen 0-3, Shania Dubois 3-4.

LOYOLA – Skylar Hollenback 0-3, Frankie Schwenk 1-2, Haran 0-4, Hirning 1-3, Resner 3-4, Sami Worster 0-2, Mitchell 1-3, Maggie Miltko 0-4, Meagan McKinnon 0-2, Josie Anderson 0-1.

RBI – Roylance, Doty, C. Charlo; Resner, Miltko.

Second round

Mission 8, Florence 7

Mission 000 600 2 – 8 11 3

Florence 000 200 5 – 7 2 0

C. Charlo and Doty. Megan Byrne, Sarah Schurg (4) and Stephanie Drozdz. W –

MISSION – Roylance 1-4, Eichert 1-3, Smith 1-4, Doty 3-4, E. Charlo 1-4, Malatare 0-1, C. Charlo 2-3, Andersen 1-3, Dubois 1-3.

FLORENCE – Holly Hale 0-3, Byrne 0-3, Nikki Schurg 1-4, Micayla Cole 0-3, Chloe Arthur 0-3, Natalie Drozdz 0-1, S. Schurg 1-4, S. Drozdz 0-2, Hailey Huot 0-2, Kristyne Drozdz 0-1.

2B – Doty; N. Schurg. RBI – Doty 2, E. Charlo, C. Charlo 2, Anderson, Dubois 2; Hale, S. Drozdz.

Ronan 11, Plains 10

Plains 180 010 0 – 10 11 1

Ronan 312 005 x – 11 12 0

Tia Thompson and Alex Green. Alaina Madsen and Kaitlyn Sassaman. W – Madsen. L – Thompson.

PLAINS – Diana Woodward 1-4, Danica Whitcomb 2-5, Jena Peterson 1-3, Sami Kinzie 2-4, Green 2-4, Thompson 2-3, Josey Carr 1-3, Kristen Josephson 1-2, Shaira Caldwell 0-4.

RONAN – Madsen 2-4, Sassaman 1-3, Alison Roberts 1-3, Kenzie Dulmes 2-3, Kendra Starkel 3-4, Amanda Morency 2-4, Danielle Richwine 0-4, Courtney Taylor 2-3, Jordyn Clairmont 1-3.

2B – Whitcomb, Peterson, Kinzie, Green, Thompson 2; Madsen, Dulmes, Starkel, Taylor, Clairmont.

HR – Carr; Taylor. RBI – Woodward, Whitcomb 2, Kinzie 2, Green 2, Thompson, Carr; Dulmes 2, Starkel 4, Morency, Taylor 3.

from Saturday, May 24

Championship

Ronan 7, Mission 5

Ronan 000 052 0 – 7 6 0

Mission 020 003 0 – 5 12 2

Madsen and Sassaman. C. Charlo and Doty. W – Madsen. L – Charlo.

RONAN – Madsen 0-4, Sassaman 1-2, Roberts 1-3, Clairmont 1-1, Dulmes 0-4, Starkel 1-4, Morency 0-3, Richwine 1-2, Taylor 1-3, Bocksnick 0-1.

MISSION – Roylance 3-5, Eichert 1-4, Smith 1-4, Doty 2-3, E. Charlo 0-3, Malatare 1-4, C. Charlo 3-3, Andersen 1-3, Dubois 1-3.

2B – Roberts, Starkel; Malatare. HR – Andersen, Dubois. RBI – Sassaman 2, Roberts, Dulmes, Starkel; Malatare, C. Charlo, Andersen 2, Dubois.