Lady Bulldogs off and running

Fresh off of one their best seasons ever, the Mission-Arlee-Charlo softball team opened the 2022 season with four games in five days and is sporting a 3-1 record during the early stages of the campaign.

The Lady Bulldogs mashed their way to three lopsided victories last week, to go with a loss at home to Frenchtown on March 31.

Head coach Shane Reum said he sympathizes with opposing pitchers who will have to face the Lady Bulldogs’ combination of speed and power from the plate this season. His team has already amassed 21 extra-base hits and five home runs in four games, three of which were abbreviated blowouts.

Speedster Jerny Crawford had four hits — two homers and two triples — in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday at St. Ignatius. She added another homer and a double in the second game. She drove in 10 of the Lady Bulldogs’ 34 runs on the day, as MAC won 16-1 and 18-2. Two of Crawford’s three home runs were inside the park.

The Lady Bulldogs finished second at the state tournament last season and had just one senior graduate — Charlo’s Liev Smith, a slugging third baseman and starting pitcher. Though she’s no longer playing for MAC, Smith returned this season as an assistant coach.

The team also lost its other primary pitcher, Kooper Page, who opted not to play this season.

Izzy Evans and Payton Smith will be the primary options on the mound this season. The tandem combined for a three-hitter in the season opener March 29 at Eureka, a 17-1 Lady Bulldogs victory. Evans struck out seven batters in three innings and earned the win. Smith finished up, striking out four over two innings.

MAC’s lone defeat last week was an 11-5 loss to perennial powerhouse Frenchtown in the March 31 home opener. The Lady Bulldogs pounded out 10 hits in the loss, but they also committed five errors, each of which resulted in Frenchtown runs.

Catcher Katelyn Young smashed a homer and drove in three runs in the loss to Frenchtown.

Mission-Arlee-Charlo was scheduled to host Ronan on Tuesday night after the Leader went to press. They’ll visit Troy on Friday.

MAC 18, Anaconda 2

MAC 0 (14) 4 – 18 15 0

Anaconda 2 ( 0 ) 0 – 2 3 1

Izzy Evans (2K,1W) and Gabby Smith. Kora Kelly (1.2IP:0K,1W), (2) Taryn Coughlin (1.1IP:0K,5H,4W) and Maniyah Lunceford. W – Evans (2-1). L – Kelly (0-1).

MAC – Jerny Crawford 2-3, Hayleigh Smith 1-2, Lettie Umphrey 0-1, Payton Smith 0-2, Evans 3-3, Rheid Crawford 2-2, Young 0-1, Bennan Andersen 2-3, Xaria Jacobsen 1-1, Gabby Smith 3-3, Cassidy Orr 1-1.

ANACONDA – Sami Johnson 0-2, Cara DeMarios 1-2, Cara Fornter 1-2, Coughlin 0-0, M.Lunceford 1-1, Ashley Mitchell 0-1, Nicole Blaz 0-1, Mikayla McKelvy 0-1, Kelly 0-1.

HR – J.Crawford. 3B – Evans. 2B – J.Crawford, H.Smith, Evans, R.Crawford, Andersen, Orr. RBIs - J.Crawford 6, H.Smith, L.Umphrey, Evans 2, R.Crawford 2, Young, Andersen 3, G.Smith, Orr; M.Lunceford 2. SF – Young. BB – J.Crawford, L.Umphrey, Young, Orr 2; Coughlin. HB – P.Smith, R.Crawford. SB – G.Smith 2, Orr. CS – R.Crawford. Runs – J.Crawford 2, H.Smith, P.Smith, Evans 2, R.Crawford 2, Young 2, Andersen 2, Jacobsen, G.Smith 3, Orr 2; DeMarios, Fortner.

MAC 16, Anaconda 1

Anaconda 1 (0) 0 0 – 1 1 3

MAC 5 (10) 0 1 – 16 14 1

Ashley Mitchell (3K,1W), (3) Kora Kelly (1K,1H) and Kadence. Payton Smith (6K,1W) and Katelyn Young. W – P.Smith (1-0). L – Mitchell (1-1).

ANACONDA – Sami Johnson 0-2, Cara DeMarios 0-1, Cara Fornter 0-2, Taryn Coughlin 0-2, K.Lunceford 1-2, Mitchell 0-2, Nicole Blaz 0-1, Mikayla McKelvy 0-1, Kelly 0-1.

MAC – Jerny Crawford 4-4, Hayleigh Smith 2-3, Payton Smith 1-3, Izzy Evans 2-2, Rheid Crawford 2-3, Young 1-3, Bennan Andersen 1-2, Xaria Jacobsen 0-1, Gabby Smith 1-3, Cassidy Orr 0-2, Lettie Umphrey 0-1.

HR – J.Crawford 2, Young. 3B – J.Crawford 2, R.Crawford. 2B – R.Crawford. RBIs – Lunceford; J.Crawford 4, P.Smith, Evans 2, R.Crawford 3, Young 4, G.Smith. BB – DeMarios; Evans. SB – H.Smith 3, Evans, G.Smith, Jacobsen, P.Smith. Runs – J.Crawford 4, H.Smith 3, P.Smith, Evans 2, R.Crawford 2, Young 2, Jacobsen, G.Smith; DeMarios.

Frenchtown 11, MAC 5

Frenchtown 205 002 2 – 11 17 2

MAC 001 020 2 – 5 10 5

Sadie Smith (6K,1W) and Toni Beatty. Izzy Evans (3IP:1K,6H,3W), (4) Payton Smith (4IP:3K,5H,3W) and Katelyn Young. W – S.Smith (1-0). L – Evans (1-1).

FRENCHTOWN – Cassidy Bagnell 5-5, S.Smith 2-2, Alexis Godin 1-4, Juna Ashby 3-6, Beatty 1-4, Abby Faulhaber 1-3, Parker Robinson 0-1, Carlie Habeck 0-2, Kendra Jacobs 0-1, Olivia Campbell 1-3, Carah Evans 0-1, Chloe Long 1-3, Tarin Croy 0-1.

MAC – J.Crawford 2-3, Hayleigh Smith 2-4, Young 2-4, Evans 1-4, Rheid Crawford 0-3, Bennan Andersen 0-3, P.Smith 2-3, Gabby Smith 0-3, Cassidy Orr 0-1, Lettie Umphrey 0-2, (flex) Xaria Jacobsen.

HR – Young. 2B – S.Smith; RBIs – Bagnell, Ashby 2, Beatty, Faulhaber, Habeck, Long; Young 3, Evans . BB – Smith 3, Godin, Beatty, Faulhaber; J.Crawford. Runs – Bagnell 4, S.Smith 2, Godin, Ashby, Faulhaber; J.Crawford 2, H.Smith 2, Young.

MAC 17, Eureka 1

MAC 445 4 – 17 16 2

Eureka 001 0 – 1 3 3

Izzy Evans (3IP:7K,1W), Payton Smith (2IP:4K) and Katelyn Young. Ellie Durden (3IP:2K,4W), (4) Maura Miller (1K,3H,1W) and Paige Goheen. W – Evans (1-0). L – Durden (0-1).

MAC – J.Crawford 3-5, Hayleigh Smith 4-4, Katelyn Young 0-3, Evans 2-2, Rheid Crawford 2-3, Bennan Andersen 2-3, Xaria Jacobsen 0-1, P.Smith 3-4, Gabby Smith 0-4, Cassidy Orr 0-1, Lettie Umphrey 0-1, .

EUREKA – Durden 1-3, Caitlyn Hurst 0-3, Miller 0-2, Goheen 0-2, Reena Truman 0-2, Johanna Cuffe 1-2, Kiah Hawkins 0-2, Savannah Peterson 0-2, Shyanne Miller 1-2.

3B – J.Crawford. 2B – J.Crawford, H.Smith 2, Evans, R.Crawford, Andersen; Durden. RBIs – H.Smith 2, Evans, R.Crawford 2, Andersen 3, P.Smith; Goheen. BB – Young, Evans 2, R.Crawford, L.Umphrey; M.Miller. HB – Orr. ROE – . SB – H.Smith 3, Young 2. Runs – J.Crawford 3, H.Smith 4, Young 2, Evans 4, R.Crawford 2, Orr, L.Umphrey; S.Miller.