Polson softball finishes 3rd at State A

HAMILTON — Polson avenged its two regular-season losses to conference rival Columbia Falls and took home some hardware as a result at State A softball on Saturday.

Polson (20-8) took third a year after winning it all by tearing off four loser-out victories after falling in Thursday’s first round. It’s the third consecutive year the Pirates have come home with a state trophy.

On Saturday, Polson came up with a 7-2 victory over the Wildkats in the loser-fourth game and then suffered a 5-4 loss to eventual champion Frenchtown.

In the fifth inning against Columbia Falls (22-5), Polson went up 5-0 thanks in part to a pair of errors, but also an RBI double by Carli Maley. Anna Vert added a solo homer in the sixth inning for Polson to make it 6-0. Haden Peters doubled in both Columbia Falls runs in the seventh.

Druyvestein pitched all seven innings and struck out six Wildkat batters.

Polson had seven hits and scored five runs on two hits in the fifth inning.

Mann struck out two Polson batters. Columbia Falls had nine hits.

Against Frenchtown, Saige Williams broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the seventh after a missed throw to a Polson third baseman allowed her to run home.

Polson was up 3-0 in the third from a Kendall RBI single and a Frenchtown fielding error that allowed the Pirates to add two more runs.

By the fourth, Frenchtown tied it 3-3. And in the sixth inning, the Broncs added another run on a fielder’s choice for the 4-3 lead.

Druyvestein’s RBI single tied it 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth, but Polson went 1-2-3 to end the game in the seventh.

Broncs pitcher Sadie Smith held Polson to four runs on eight hits and struck out five. Polson’s Druyvestein allowed five runs on nine hits and also struck out five batters.

Frenchtown (22-2) advanced to the first championship game against Billings Central and won 7-2, breaking a 1-1 tie in the sixth with three runs and adding three more in the seventh. It was the first loss for the Rams, who ended up 18-2.

Since Frenchtown lost 4-3 to Billings Central in the undefeated final Saturday morning and fell to the loser-out bracket, a second game was needed to determine the state champion. The Broncs were the first team since 2011 to come through the loser-out bracket and force a second title game.

Billings Central led 4-0 through six, but Frenchtown rallied with five runs on five hits, with Toni Beatty providing the go-ahead run. The Broncs, who were second to Polson last year, won 7-4, their 12th overall State A title.