Pirates fall to Hamilton, look to rebound at Frenchtown
Polson High School softball coach Larry Smith hasn’t seen his team lose by a significant margin like they fell 20-1 at the hands of Hamilton since he first began coaching the Lady Pirates in 1988.
“It was just one of those games,” Smith said. “I think 1988 was the last time we got beat that bad. It was just one of those games where (Hamilton) hit everything and they hit (the ball) right through the gap and everything found a hole. It wasn’t like the Lady Broncs’ pitcher dominated us because we were putting the ball on the bat. I think she had only one strikeout and we were hitting very solidly right to the outfielders Once the floodgates opened (in the game), we just couldn’t close them. We will get to see them here in a couple of weeks and hopefully, we have a different outcome in Frenchtown.”
Though the team fell to the Lady Broncs, it has been Smith’s experience in the business of softball that his team will recover and become stronger through dealing with adversity, he said.
“We definitely have gotten thumped before in the past several times and this type of game develops the character for our team,” Smith said. “We just have to pick it up and go right back to work and put things together. Next time we meet Hamilton, we will be a different team.”
Smith acknowledged the Hamilton Broncs were a good team but admitted they weren’t the type of team he referred to as “overwhelming.”
“They weren’t that overwhelming of a team but they were very senior-oriented,” Smith said. “We didn’t have to deal with some of the elements and we missed a practice. These teams were able to make all of their games and they took advantage of teams that haven’t had a lot of time. However, we can’t use that as an excuse but we didn’t get a lot of practice in and maybe practicing indoors is something we have no control over. I tell my team you worry about the things that you can control.”
The Lady Pirates will get a chance to avenge their loss to Frenchtown, and rest assured Smith and his team have the date of the Frenchtown Invitational marked on their calendar.
The Pirates will play at the Frenchtown Invitational on April 27-28 and will play Stevensville and Fergus on Friday, and Hamilton and the defending Class B-C state champion Florence.
Fergus, a team the Lady Pirates 10-run in last year’s MHSA Class A state softball game in Sidney, returns everyone back from a team that was one of the top 12 teams in Class A last season with a state appearance.
“Experience, you just can’t beat it,” Smith said. “They’ve been playing together and seem to have really gelled, They are one to watch out for this year. When you get to State, you are one of 12 teams. To make it there, you have to be really good.”
With weather resembling spring, the Lady Pirates will finally start to have a chance to practice outdoors. Something Smith has stated has hampered his team’s ability to prepare for games.
“That is really tough and especially having to practice indoors, it is so limited in our gym area,” Smith said. “It’s small and we don’t have a lot of room. There isn’t much we can really accomplish inside and the girls have taken (the setback) really well. I am hoping they’ll push themselves to do well when we go outside, they get ready to play some games and (their bats) come out ready to explode when they finally get a chance to play.”