Purple Rain finishes season with fourth-place finish

Polson Purple Rain manager Larry Smith’s team finished the USA Fastpitch 16, 18U tournament with a fourth-place finish at the USA Fastpitch Tournament Friday and Saturday in Great Falls.

The Rain, who finished the tournament with a .500 record, still finished strong, according to Smith.

Polson consisted of a mixture of players from their team that finished fourth in the Class A Montana High School Association, a team, according to Smith, that was still young.

“That would have helped more to have all of those players,” Smith said. “We had a mixture of new players and a few veterans. With our lack of game experience, we made tremendous errors and people should have blown us away because of our mistakes. However, we were able to overcome that and did OK (throughout the tournament).”

The Purple Rain eventually got knocked out by the Butte team, who captured the USA fast pitch softball state title.

“Teams in the tournament had a combination of several towns and players,” Smith said. “This included a team that had players from Belgrade and Anaconda, and then there was a team with players from Libby, Columbia Falls and Frenchtown all playing together.

“That is what I communicated to the team after it was all over,” Smith said. “I don’t want them to get their heads down. I am absolutely pleased with what happened in our community. The community program had the winningest program and several girls committed themselves and contributed to the future success. I talked to the youngest ones about having the same confidence and passion for the game and continuing the winning tradition that we’ve had.”

2018 MT JO USA State Tournament

Great Falls, MT

July 6-8

18U

MC Magic 9, Purple Rain 5

Butte/et.al. 015 030 – 9 8 0

Polson 101 120 – 5 10 7

Michaela Cortwright, (5) Mollie Schmitz, (6) Shania Neubauer and Emma Cox. Vanessa Kent and Kaylanna DesJarlais.

MINING CITY MAGIC – Kloie Thatcher 2-3(BB,ROE), Shania Neubauer 1-2(SH,ROE), Calista Pachl 2-4, Mollie Schmitz 0-4, Whitney Durocher 1-4, Maddie Joseph 0-2, #7 Shelby 1-2, Vanessa Walsh 0-2(2ROE), #11Johanna 0-0(SH), Cox 1-3, Maddie McMahon 0-3(ROE).

POLSON PURPLE RAIN – Kaelyn Smith 0-2(2BB), Lexy Orien 2-4, Gabby Wirz 2-4, Quinn Motichka 1-4, Kobbey Smith 0-4, DesJarlais 1-2(BB), Paige Noyes 2-3, Grace Quinones 1-2(BB), Lisa Costilla 1-2(BB).

HR – Thatcher. 2B – Cox; Orien, Wirz, Motichka, Noyes. RBIs – Thatcher 3, Pachl 2, Cox 2; Wirz, Motichka, Quinones 2. SB – Kae.Smith, Quinones 2. (Sa07Jul18gm15)

player affiliations – Great Falls (Schmitz), Belgrade (Neubauer, Pachl, Cox), Butte (Thatcher), Anaconda (Cortwright), Conrad-Choteau (Durocher), Helena (Walsh).

Purple Rain 6, MV Insanity 5

Ronan 000 014 0 – 5 9 1

Polson 000 102 3 – 6 8 4

Kassidy Kinzie and Natalee Deschamps. Vanessa Kent and Kaylanna DesJarlais. W – Kent.

MISSION VALLEY INSANITY – Madison Clairmont 3-4, Kinzie 0-3(HB), Frankie Smith 1-4, Marissa Mock 1-4(ROE), Macao Jackson 0-4, Shyanne Reum 1-4, Deschamps 0-3(BB), Maddy Mae Miller 3-4, Olivia Garland 0-4, (flex) Aubrey Doty.

POLSON PURPLE RAIN – Kaelyn Smith 2-3(BB), Lexy Orien 1-3, Gabby Wirz 0-2(SH), DesJarlais 0-3, Quinn Motichka 1-3, Paige Noyes 0-3, Grace Quinones 1-3, Kobbey Smith 2-3, Lisa Costilla 1-3.

3B – Quinones. 2B – Clairmont; Kae.Smith 2. RBIs – F.Smith, Mock 2; Kae.Smith 2, Orien, Wirz, Quinones. SB – Kae.Smith 2, Kob.Smith 2. (Sa07Jul18gm10)

Asterisk (*) denotes stat variant(s) among application of alternate scoring criteria: Polson book has Mock 1H(ROE).

Silverstorm 7, Purple Rain 0

Polson 000 000 0 – 0 4 5*

Helena 110 113 x – 7 8 2*

Vanessa Kent (2K) and Kaylanna DesJarlais. Terra Gilchrist (8K) and Rena Belcourt.

POLSON PURPLE RAIN – Kaelyn Smith 2-3, Gabby Wirz 0-3(ROE), DesJarlais 1-2, Kobbey Smith 1-2(BB), remaining lineup 0-3.

HELENA SILVERSTORM – Taylor Mathews 3-4(RBI), Kacie Gross 1-3(SH), Nichole Ames *1-4(ROE,2RBI), Sarah Bury 0-3, Gilchrist 0-3(ROE), Morgan Rehm 0-3(FC), Veronica Hansen 1-2, Mackenzie Siegers 0-1, Belcourt 1-3, Madi Rouse 1-3.

2B – DesJarlais; Mathews 2, Ames, Belcourt, Rouse. RBIs – Mathews, Gross, Ames *2, Rehm, Rouse *2. SB – Kae.Smith. (Fr06Jul18gm6)

Asterisk (*) denotes stat variant(s) among application of alternate scoring criteria:HSGC= HS:12H (Ames 2H)/PR:3E

Purple Rain 12, Blgs Bombers 0

Billings 000 0 – 0 5 2*

Polson 234 3 – 12 11 0*

Kelsey Gosch, (4) Rebecca Sadowski and Caitlyn Dalke. Vanessa Kent (2K) and Kaylanna DesJarlais. W – Kent.

BILLINGS BOMBERS – Kailee Kienitz 1-2, Ally Schroeder 1-2, LeAnn McFarlen 1-2, Mackenzie Kanuit 1-2, Joleen Mallary 1-2.

POLSON PURPLE RAIN – Kaelyn Smith 3-3, Grace Quinones 0-2(SH,ROE), Lexy Orien 2-3, Paige Noyes 1-2(SH,ROE), DesJarlais 1-3, Gabby Wirz 2-3, Kobbey Smith 1-2(BB), Lisa Costilla 1-2, (flex) Kent.

HR – Wirz 2. 3B – Kae.Smith 2, Orien, Kob.Smith. 2B – Orien, Noyes. RBIs – Kae.Smith 3, Quinones, Orien, Noyes, DesJarlais, Wirz 2, Kob.Smith. (Fr06Jul18gm2)

Asterisk (*) denotes stat variant(s) among application of alternate scoring criteria: BBGC= BB: 7H/PR: 15H

MT Warriors 8, MV Insanity 0

Macao Jackson (4K,2W) and Natalee Deschamps.

MISSION VALLEY INSANITY – Marissa Mock 1-2, Jackson 0-1(BB), Olivia Garland 0-1(BB).

MC Magic 9, Lady Os 7

GF Selects 5, Lady Os 3

Lady Os 10, MT Diamonds 6

16U age division

Sparks 18, Avs-Weisgram 10

first championship

Sparks 5, Avs-Weisgram 2

undefeated semifinal

Avs-Weisgram 18, EC Heat 1

Avs 8, Sparks 0

Avs 15, MC Magic 1

14U age division

MT Avs-Craun (5-0), 1st place

MT Avs-Ries (4-2), 3rd place

Polson Lakers (0-2)

Ronan Outlaws (0-2)

MT Xtreme 7, Lakers 0

Laurel 101 012 2 – 7 15 0

Polson 000 000 0 – 0 1 2

Katelyne Druyvestein (7K), Turquoise Pierre and Kallie Finkbeiner. Jess Morgan (9K) and catcher.

POLSON LAKERS – Anna Vert (BB),

MONTANA XTREME – Morgan 4(RBI), Makayla Harper 3(BB,RBI), Emily Egger 3(RBI)

Emmanuel Halos 5, Lakers 2

MC Magic-Thatcher 13, Ronan Outlaws 1

GF Selects-Faulk 20, Ronan Outlaws 1

Avs-Craun 14, 406 Playmakers 4

Avs-Craun (27-8)

Missoula 220 028 – 14 20 3

Billings 040 000 – 4 5 2

Kooper Page (2K), (5) Kylie Kovatch and catcher.

undefeated semifinal

Avs-Craun 17, 406 Playmakers 5

MT AVALANCHE-CRAUN – Kooper Page 3H (5RBI/1IP: 1K).

Avs-Craun 16, Belgrade 4

Avs-Craun 11, Blgs Force 3

Avs-Craun 15, Selects-Mitchell 0

14U 3rd place match

406 Playmakers 11, Avs-Ries 5

Avs-Ries (31-9-1)

Kendra Jacobs, (3.67) Marin Snyder, (7.33) Ashlynn Depoe and Emma Ries. O. Murray and D. Mayo.

MT AVALANCHE-RIES – Jerny Crawford 2-4(RBI), Rheid Crawford 2-3(1R), Depoe 0-1.

Avs-Ries 19, Flathead Breeze 4

MT AVALANCHE-RIES – Jerny Crawford 2-5(ROE/DP), Rheid Crawford 4-5(2B,3B,5RBI), Depoe 0-1(.67IP: 2K).

Avs-Ries 12, MT Xtreme 1

406 Playmakers 11, Avs-Ries 9

Avs-Ries 4, Emmanuel Halos 3

Avs-Ries 10, GF Selects-Faulk 4