Local softball teams make some noise at State Junior Olympic tournament
The summer softball season came to an end last weekend for many local athletes with the completion of the State Junior Olympic softball tournament at Butte.
The U-18 Polson-based Lady Pirates notched a convincing first-round 16-1 win over the MT Warriors, but were shut out in their two subsequent games.
Two other teams sprinkled with Mission Valley-area players included the Missoula-based, Dan Ries-coached MT Avalanche and the Bitterroot-based, Chris Newman-coached MT Sparks.
Avalanche-Ries features the Crawford sisters Jerny and Rheid of Mission-Arlee-Charlo, while the Sparks feature Macao Jackson of Ronan and University of Providence player Azia Umphrey of Mission. The two teams clashed in the second round, with Avalanche-Ries prevailing 8-1. Avs-Ries advanced two more rounds into Sunday's competition before losing 9-8 to sister-team Avalanche-Countryman.
In the 14U division, the Lady Pirates didn't fare as well as their preceding week SPLASH Classic championship, but nevertheless plated runs in each contest, including an impressive 29-7 win over the Billings-based Force.
In the 12U division, the Polson-based Lady Pirates plated a lot of runs, but couldn't match their opponents’ output. The team went 0-2 despite scoring a combined 13 runs over the course of both games.
The Mission Valley Stars won their first two games — 12-4 over the Great Falls-based Fusion and 7-6 over the Bitterroot-based Sparks — before falling in their final two games to the 406 Flyers and the Kalispell-based Emeralds.
Mission Valley had three teams competing in the 10U division — the Ronan Spears, the Ronan-based Mini Maidens and the Polson-based Lil'Lady Pirates. The Mini Maidens dropped their first contest to Belgrade, but then plated 30 runs in victories over Great Falls and Missoula teams before being edged by the Frenchtown-based Fury. The Ronan Spears and Lady Pirates met up in consolation action after both suffered first-round losses, with the Pirates prevailing 10-8. The Lil'Lady Pirates reeled off two more wins, over Belgrade and Bozeman, before falling to Manhattan.
A few athletes are still playing in tournaments on teams around the country. Josie Caye of Polson competes on the Portland-based NW Bullets, while the Missoula-based MT Avalanche-Ries squad is competing in the TCS World Series in San Diego this weekend with Rheid Crawford, Jerny Crawford and Liev Smith of Mission-Arlee-Charlo, and Katelyne Druyvestein of Polson also on their roster.
2021 MT JO State Softball Tournament
July 9-11, Helena
18U DIVISION
Avs-Countryman 9, Lady Pirates 0
USA Lady Pirates (18-10-2)
Polson 000 00 – 0 2 8
Missoula 310-23 – 9 6 1
Katelyne Druyvestein (4K,3W) and Mckenna Hanson. Amanda Nettleton (4K) and Amber Countryman. W – Nettleton. L – Druyvestein (16-6).
16/18U POLSON LADY PIRATES – Katelyne Druyvestein 1-2, Hanson 1-2, Lexy Orien 0-1, Avery Starr 0-2, Turquoise Pierre 0-2, Nikki Kendall 0-2, Caitlyn Ward 0-2, Tyneesha Brown 0-2, Julia Barnard 0-1.
18U MT AVALANCHE-COUNTRYMAN – Mack Wright 3-4, Countryman 0-3, Morgan Sunchild 1-4, Kynzie Mohl 0-1, Kenna Thomas 0-3, Nettleton 0-3, Shelby Dunwell 1-2, Jaiven BadBear 0-3, Sammie Labrum 1-3.
RBIs – Countryman, Sunchild 3, Mohl, Thomas, Dunwell. BB – Orien; Mohl 2, Dunwell. HB – Countryman. ROE – Ward; Wright, Countryman, Sunchild 2, Mohl, Thomas, Dunwell. FC – Starr; Sunchild, Thomas. SB – Wright.
Xtreme 8, Lady Pirates 0
ParkCity 000 232 1 – 8 9 1
Polson 000 000 0 – 0 3 4
Camden Susott (5IP:7K), (6) Ella Crookston (2IP:4K) and Haileigh Davis. Katelyne Druyvestein (4.2IP:9K, 5H,1W), (5) Turquoise Pierre (2.1IP:1K,4H,1W) and Lexy Orien. W – Sussott. L – Druyvestein (16-5).
MT XTREME – Shannon Nelson 1-4, Susott 1-3, Crookston 0-1, Skylar Higgs 2-4, Makayla Harper 2-4, Reed Johnson 1-4, Davis 0-3, Sawyer Wiggs 1-2, Peyton Kale 0-2, Cora Styles 1-1, Jaden Boardman 0-3.
16/18U POLSON LADY PIRATES – Druyvestein 0-2, Mckenna Hanson 0-3, Orien 1-3, Avery Starr 0-3, Turquoise Pierre 0-3, Nikki Kendall 0-3, Caitlyn Ward 0-2, Tyneesha Brown 1-2, Ansley Nordberg 0-1, Julia Barnard 1-2.
HR – Sussott. 2B – Harper, Styles, Higgs 2. RBIs – Susott 3, Harper. BB – Druyvestein, Ward. ROE – S.Higgs, R.Johnson; Ward. FC – Davis, Boardman.
Lady Pirates 16, MT Warriors 1
Warriors ( 0 )01 – 1 1 9
Pirates (11)05 – 16 10 0
Belle Swinger (0.2IP:1K,4W), (1) Faith Manihusen (1.2IP:4K,1W) and Kylee Wetzel. Katelyne Druyvestein and Lexy Orien. W – Druyvestein (16-4).
18U MT WARRIORS – Wetzel 1-2, Swinger 0-1, Alex Woehler 0-0, Hannah Smith 0-0.
16/18U POLSON LADY PIRATES – Katelyne Druyvestein 2-3, Hanson 2-3, Lexy Orien 1-2, Avery Starr 0-1, Turquoise Pierre 3-3, Nikki Kendall 1-3, Caitlyn Ward 1-2, Tyneesha Brown 0-1, Julia Barnard 0-2, (cr) Ansley Nordberg.
2B – Hanson. RBIs – Story Salsbury; Druyvestein, Hanson, Orien 2, Pierre 5, Kendall 3, Barnard 2. SH – H.Smith. BB – Woehler; Starr 2, Orien, Ward, Brown. HB – Swinger. ROE – Druyvestein, Hanson, Kendall, Ward, Barnard. D3K – Salsbury. SB – Druyvestein, Pierre, Kendall.
Avs-Ries 8, Sparks-Newman 1
Missoula 202 121 – 8 11 1
Bitterroot 010 000 – 1 2 3
Chloe Flerchinger and [Emma Ries]. Gabby Krueger, Mackenzie Moore and [Sami Knapp].
18U MT AVALANCHE-RIES – Jerny Crawford 2H(RBI), Rheid Crawford
18U MT SPARKS-NEWMAN – Macao Jackson, Azia Umphrey
Sparks-Newman 16, Emeralds-H/W 1
MT SPARKS-NEWMAN – Macao Jackson 4H(5RBI; 3IP:3K), Azia Umphrey (BB), Ashlynn Nixon (4RBI)
Other scores:
Avs-Countryman 9, Avs-Ries 8
Fusion 4, Avs-Ries 3
Belgrade-Green 16, Sparks-Newman 14
Avs-Ries 14, Silverstorm 5
14U DIVISION
Yellowstone Valley Thunder 10, Lady Pirates 4
Yel.Vlly 200 0323 – 10 18 1
Polson 121 000 0 – 4 7 2
Sammy Rensvold and Olivia Jore
Lady Pirates 29, Blgs Force-Hart 7
Force (8-18-1)
Polson 023 035 (16) – 29 23 0
Billings 200 005 ( 0 ) – 7 10 12
Izzy Fyant (9K) and Olivia Jore. Bethany Hart, (5) Krista Dunn and catcher. W – Fyant.
14U POLSON LADY PIRATES – Jore (3RBI,BB), Fayrene Pierre (4RBI), Fyant (2BB), Kailey Smith 3H, Emma Smith (BB), Alyssa Orien 4H(6RBI), Layla Tenas 4H,
Avs-Hanninen/Wright 6, Lady Pirates 2