Polson softball 12U finishes second in Frenchtown

Team USA Polson 12U coach Jami Hanson has attributed his team’s early-season success to their dedication.

Currently, Hanson’s team has won 21 of 25 games against stacked all-star teams and finished second in the Frenchtown Softball Tournament with an 8-5 loss to Post Falls, Idaho.

Hanson, who was at his brother-in-law’s wedding and was unable to attend the game, said he thinks a lot of his team’s success is fueled by their sheer will to win.

“I think a lot of our success is coming from the girls’ willingness and desire to get better every week,” Hanson said of his team’s success. “I really commend the girls for their hard work ethic, diligence and focus for the sake of the team. A lot of girls are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the team and I couldn’t ask for a better staff to work with.”

Hanson, much like the 16/18U Polson team, was able to establish good team chemistry, which he attributes to the team’s success.

“I think a lot of that comes from the dedication of the kids and being able to mesh as a group of girls as well as their parents coming along and making sure the kids are there,” Hanson said. “They camp by each other, eat together and there is just a huge camaraderie.”

Hanson said he felt it takes a lot of time commitment and dedication for his players to cultivate their talent to maximize their potential.

“They aren’t just girls, they are becoming a family,” Hanson said. “We have to do what it takes in order to raise a child. It takes a village to raise a child and right now we are building that village.”

Hanson said he felt the talent of his team is beginning to emerge and showcase itself.

“Our talent on our team really shows and these kids are truly an all-star team from a small town,” Hanson said. “They are a small pool of kids and they’ve just done a great job of meeting expectations and setting goals. These kids get after it. They are going to be really fun to watch as they go to school together. Just like the teams ahead of us, it’s the legacy that you leave behind.”

Hanson attributed his team’s success to his team’s speed on the bases.

“We like to run the bases a lot and we might be down by seven runs at one point in time but if our bats get hot, the next thing that you know is everyone is hitting and there is a lot of team chemistry,” Hanson said. “We have girls that are really close knit. Our team speed is pretty darn good and we would like to run and do the little things to get everyone else going. Our pitching has been outstanding this year.”

Hanson said the pitchers’ willingness to elevate their level of play has enabled them to win the majority of their games this season.

“We have one pitcher that is throwing a 6-to-1 strike-to-ball ratio,” Hanson said. “She throws a lot of strikes and puts a lot of balls over the plate. Our 12U pitchers this year are just fabulous and have developed. We’ve developed such a good chemistry between our pitchers and catchers and they just work really well together.”

Hanson elaborated and expressed the pride he showcased in his team.

“I would stack my batting lineup with any team and we have a lot of team speed,” Hanson said. “Our team has good bats, and it doesn’t happen very often that you see us have one, two, three innings. We usually get six or seven batters per inning.”

Hanson further expounded on his team’s potential.

“Like I said, there is some talent and there is no doubt that there is a lot of desire and they don’t like the taste of defeat,” Hanson said. “Not winning a championship this weekend makes them eager to get after it because they don’t like that flavor of defeat.”

12U championship

PF Blast 8, Purple Wave 5

Turquoise Pierre (9K) and Aubree Marshall, Caitlyn Ward (5). Ivvy C., Emma A. (5) and catcher

PURPLE WAVE – Caitlyn Ward 0-1 (BB), Pierre 1-4(RBI), Tyneesha Brown 0-2(2BB,E), Taylor Henricksen 1-3(RBI), Reegan Stinger 0-1(FC,RBI,BB), Alexis Johnson 1-3. (Su25Jun17gm3brkt)

P Wave 5, MTAvs-Hanninen 2

Turquoise Pierre (6K) and Aubree Marshall. Ashley Mitchell, Charlee Hanninen (3) and Vanhoos, c.

PURPLE WAVE – Tyneesha Brown 1-2(2RBI), Marshall 0-1(RBI), T.Pierre (BB), Taylor Henricksen 1-2, Alexis Johnson 0-1(BB), Ansley Nordberg 2-2, Isabella Paul (BB). (Su25Jun17gm2brkt)

P Wave 11, C-Town Rebs 7

Alexis Johnson, Turqouise Pierre (2) and Aubree Marshall.

Aubree 1-2(3B, 2RBI), Pierre 1-2(3B,RBI), Reegan Stinger 1-3(RBI), Ansley Nordberg 2-3(2B,RBI).

(Su25Jun17gm1brkt)

12U pool play

P Wave 11, PFalls Blast 9

.Marshall 1-2(3B,RBI), Pierre 1-2(RBI), Reegan Stinger 0-1(RBI), Johnson 2-2(2RBI),

Purple Wave 13, Livingston 1

MTA-G 11, Purple Wave 2