Local softball teams have success at Splash Classic

POLSON – Twenty-nine fastpitch softball teams from all over Northwestern Montana battled Mother Nature’s grab bag of weather and each other this past weekend during the 2022 Polson Splash Classic softball tournament hosted at the Polson Softball Complex.

More than 60 games were played in four age divisions during the three-day tourney that opened with pool play on Friday evening and culminated on Sunday with bracketed championship action.

After going 2-1 in the 10U pool action, the Lady Pirates entered Sunday’s bracket play as the second seed where they defeated the Bitterroot Sparks 7-3 in the semifinals to advance into the championship game against the Columbia Falls Emeralds.

The Emeralds slipped past the Lady Pirates 5-3 to capture the 10U championship.

Also competing in the 10U division were the Ronan Rebels who had a 0-3 record in the pool games and fell 10-1 in bracket play on Sunday morning to the Emeralds for fourth place.

The Polson Lady Pirates 12U team had a good weekend at the Splash Classic grabbing championship runner-up hardware on Sunday in a 11-3 loss to the Columbia Falls Emeralds-Grady. The Lady Pirates went 3-0 in pool action earning the number two seeded spot and a first-game bye in the championship bracket.

After playing CTown Rebels to a 4-4 deadlock in the semifinal game, the two teams used the international tiebreaker rule to settle the score. With a runner placed on second to start each half-inning, the Lady Pirates got a clutch single from Alyssa Thoft in the bottom of the inning that pushed Kendyl Jaeger across the plate from second base for the victory.

The 12U Ronan Mighty Maidens finished pool action 0-3 and fell in the first round of the championship brackets to the CTown Rebels, 2-0.

In the 14U group, the Polson Lady Pirates marched through pool play undefeated, while the Mission Valley All-Stars finished with a 1-2 overall record. Both squads were eliminated early in Sunday’s bracket play.

The 16/18U Polson Lady Pirates finished the tournament with a pool record, 3-0, and booked a 5-4 win against the Thrillers Fastball in the championship quarterfinals.

In the semifinal against the Emeralds and eventual 16/18U tourney champions, the Lady Pirates fell 4-3.

On Saturday evening, fastpitch softball fans were treated to a home run derby. Lady Pirate Zayleigh Rafiu won the 10U division followed by teammate Harlow Caye in second place. Lady Pirate Natalie Nash won the 12U competition, while in the 16/18U division Nikki Kendall swatted her way to a third-place finish.

2022 Splash Classic

Polson Softball Complex

Friday-Sunday, July 1-3

12U Splash championship

Emeralds-Grady 11, Polson LP 3

Polson 000 102 – 3 7 4

Kalispell 100 343 – 11 17 1

Chloe Farrell (5ip:6K,3W), (6) Ava Grady and Tegan Strauss, (6) Avery Orme. Logan McCrea (5ip:3K,3W), (5) Abbi Sanford and Natalie Nash. W – C.Farrell.

POLSON 12U LADY PIRATES – Graci Hammer 0-3, Nash 0-2, McCrea 3-3, Aleyah Carpentier 1-2, Sanford 2-3, Kendyl Jaeger 0-2, Alivia Ramirez 0-2, Alyssa Thoft 1-3, Jorunn Johnston 0-2, Milee Johnson 0-1.

KALISPELL 12U EMERALDS-GRADY – A.Grady 4-5, Makynlee Meyer 1-4, Joslyn Crofts 0-0, Elyse Sharpnack 2-3, Farrell 2-3, Orme 1-3, June Stickney 0-4, Kate Lewellen 1-3, Danica Hennell 0-1, Strauss 4-4, Reese Rosenberg 2-4, Abby Croft 0-1.

3B – Grady 2. 2B – Carpentier, McCrea; Grady, Strauss. RBIs – Carpentier, Thoft 2; Grady, Meyer 4, Sharpnack 3, Strauss, Rosenberg 2. SH – Crofts. BB – Nash, Carpentier, Ramirez; Meyer, Sharpnack, Farrell, Orme. HB – Jaeger. SB – Farrell. Runs – McCrea, Carpentier, Jaeger; Grady 4, Lewellen, Strauss 3, Rosenberg 3.