Softball teams gear up for statewide ASA competition
By JOHN HEGLIE
Special for the Leader
Although Polson-based softball teams took a respite from ASA competition during the Fourth of July holiday, other softball squads were not on such a holding pattern this past weekend. Several Mission Valley area players sprinkled among the rosters of Missoula-based softball teams were creating their own variation of fireworks while wielding a bat at the plate since dry weather conditions canceled the lighting of conventional fireworks celebrations.
This upcoming weekend in Billings, most ASA softball teams will wrap up their summer seasons competing in the Montana ASA/USA State Junior Olympic Tournament this Friday-Sunday, July 10-12, with its double elimination format.
12U Division
At the 6th annual Bridger Mountain Classic (BMC) held at Belgrade in the championship tilt against the Helena Blue Thunder, the Missoula-based MT Avalanche-Tipps team rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to win the 12U BMC championship 10-2. Josie Caye of Polson came off the bench and stroked a clutch hit to help spark the rally, while Destiny Manuel of Ronan had a pair of hits during the contest. Caye is hitting at a .500 average with a half dozen RBIs, while Manuel is hitting .548 with 34 hits to her credit that have generated two dozen RBIs, with seven of those hits going for extra bases.
In the preceding semifinal game against the Missoula Lady Osprey, Grace Hardy pitched her MTAvs team to a 6-1 victory with a quartet of strikeouts, while Morgan Holmes contributed a pair of RBIs. Both Hardy and Holmes have Mission Valley roots of a second generation variety. Hardy has 39 hits to her credit that include a dozen doubles for a .549 average, has generated 39 RBIs, while Holmes has 32 hits to her credit that include eight for extra bases for a .438 average with 22 RBIs to her credit.
On the other side of the diamond bolstering the Lady Osprey dugout during the semifinal were Azia Umphrey of Mission St. Ignatius and Liev Smith of Charlo. Umphrey reached base after being hit by a pitch, while Smith ended up on base twice after reaching on an error and a fielder’s choice. Earlier during pool play action, Smith hit a triple, while Umphrey contributed solid all around play throughout the course of the tournament.
The MTAvs-Tipps have compiled a cumulative 31-1 record over the course of the summer ASA season and have to be considered a contender for taking home some form of hardware at the upcoming State ASA tournament.
16U Division
At the Fourth of July Shootout in Spokane this past holiday weekend, the Missoula-based MTAvs-Miltko softball team competed against some tough northwestern ASA teams. This MTAvs squad features Wirz siblings Sadie and Gabby of Ronan among their roster. Sadie stroked a decisive game winning double in the bottom of the 6th to break open a game which they were trailing at the time. Molly Miltko then drove in Sadie for their final run. Gabby belted an inside the park home run in the first game on Sunday against the Couer d’Alene Crush and had several key hits along with RBIs over the course of the tournament. Gabby pitched well earlier in the weekend, while Sadie caught both games on Sunday.
Although the Polson Purple Rain were idle this past weekend, they have recharged their figurative bio-batteries and are looking forward to their encounters with State ASA teams. The Rain would like nothing better than to rein in their competition so that they might reign rather than succumb to gravitational forces that govern the fall of drops from conventional rains. As a team, the Rain have compiled a 14-6 record thus far this summer, having generated a cumulative total of 110 RBIs off twice as many hits with over three dozen of those for extra bases. Number two batter Kaelyn Smith leads the charge with a .525 average on the strength of 32 hits that include a half dozen for extra bases plus more than a baker’s dozen stolen bases. Right on her heals are leadoff Laurel Bitterman and Hannah Fryberger, both sporting strong .467 averages, Bitterman with the next highest tally of hits with 28 to her credit that coincides with the second highest number of stolen bases. That bodes well for number three batter Haley Fyant, who leads the team with 22 RBIs on the strength of 26 hits for a .419 average, seven of those hits for extra bases that include four home runs.
Middle of the order batters Quinn Motichka and Breyland McColl are the remaining batters hitting north of a .400 average, sharing three dozen hits for half as many RBIs. Catcher Ashley Benson has bludgeoned 23 hits from the cleanup position in the batting order. The remaining quartet of Whitney Barr, Mollie Fisher, Camas Renault and Mikayla Croft are all hitting healthy .300 plus averages, sharing over five dozen cumulative hits between them that have generated over two dozen RBIs from the lower portion of the order.
14U Division
At the Fourth of July Shootout in Spokane, the MTAvs-Butler squad swept their pool play bracket competition that included a 1-0 squeaker past the Spokane Diamonds. That unblemished record qualified them for the topmost red bracket, where they were nipped 8-5 by a familiar crosstown nemesis, the Lady Osprey, who went on to capture the championship. Emilie Corley of Polson and Tomi Brazill of Mission bolster the roster of this Avs squad. The Polson Lakers enter state with a 15-6 record.
6th annual Bridger Mountain Classic (BMC)
Friday-Sunday, July 3-5, 2015
Belgrade, MT
BMC champions – 12U MTAvs-Tipps
12U BMC bracket play:
MTAvs-Tipps 10, Helena Thunder 2
MTAvs-Tipps 6, Lady Os 1
MTAvs-Tipps 17, Bitterroot Sparks 0
Lady Os 14, Bozeman Stealers 3
12U BMC Pool play:
MTAvs-Tipps 9, Bozeman Stealers 0
MTAvs-Tipps 16, Belgrade Wolfpack White 0
MTAvs-Tipps 19, Billings Bombers 0
Lady Os 13, Billings Bombers 0
Bozeman Stealers 6, Lady Os 2
Lady Os 12, Belgrade Wolfpack White 0
4th of July Shootout (FJS)
Friday-Sunday, July 3-5, 2015
Spokane, WA
16U FJS sparkler (4th division) bracket :
Championship
MTAvs-Miltko 9, West Plaines Bandits 7
MTAvs-Miltko 11, CDA Crush-Dement 4
16UJFS pool play:
Chewelah Hurricanes 11, MTAvs-Miltko 1
MTAvs-Miltko 14, Northwest Spark 6
Spokane Diamonds-Vulcano 10, MTAvs-Miltko 0
14U FJS red (top) bracket:
Lady Os 8, MTAvs-Butler 5 (3rd place)
14U FJS pool play:
MTAvs-butler 11, Stealth ‘99-Niles 6
MTAvs-Butler 1, Spokane Diamonds-Tutt 0
MTAvs-Butler 9, Electric City Heat 8
18U Division
The Missoula-based 18U MTAvs-White are 16-10-2 thus far on the season and will be participating in the USSSA World Series Event Tournament from July 11-18 in Orlando, FL. In terms of local Mission Valley flavor, the team features Hannah Potter of Polson, Jordyn Eichert of Charlo as well as second generation removed players Sierrah Hardy and Taylor Holmes among their roster (seem primer for affiliations). Both Hardy and Holmes share .379 batting averages with Hardy holding 9RBIs and a trio of doubles among her 25 hits, while Holmes has 2RBIs as well as eight clobbers for extra bases among her 33 hits. Potter boasts a .351 batting average that includes four RBIs along with seven extra base smacks among her 20 hits, while Eichert has generated a half dozen hits as well as RBIs that include a double, but her sharp eye at the plate has earned her double digit walks for a .333 on-base-percentage.
16U Polson Purple Rain — Polson area roster
16U MTAvs-Miltko — Sadie Wirz (Ronan), Gabby Wirz (Ronan).
14U Polson Lakers — Polson area roster
14U MTAvs-Butler — Emilie Corley (Polson), Tomi Brazill (Mission)
12U Polson Purple Wave — Polson area roster
12U Lady Osprey — Azia Umphrey (Mission), Bella Starratt (Arlee), Liev Smith (Charlo).
12U MTAvs-Tipps — Josie Caye (Polson), Destiny Manuel (Ronan), Grace Hardy (daughter of Charlo grad Clint Hardy), Morgan Holmes (Sentinel, daughter of Ronan grad Shannon Holmes)
12UMTAvs-Spry/Wright — Macao Jackson (Ronan)
10U Polson Lil Lakers — Polson area roster
10U MTAvs-Craun — Shanel Manuel (Ronan), Kooper Page (Mission)
18U MTAvs-White — Hannah Potter (Polson), Jordyn Eichert (Charlo), Sierrah Hardy (Missoula Hellgate), Taylor Holmes (Missoula Sentinel). For Mission Valley area affiliations, see Hardy & Holmes under MTAvs-Tipps.
First round matchups for the ASA State JO tournament can be viewed at: http://leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=billingssoftball