Maiden lumber fells Lady Loggers
At Ronan, the visiting Lady Loggers of Libby and the host Maidens squared off on May 11 for a crucial conference clash whose outcome held postseason berth implications. During their first encounter, both teams traded leads back and forth, with Libby clipping Ronan by a mere run when the hosts went to bat in the bottom half of the final frame, 12-11.
The last time these two teams met, the Maidens got off to a sluggish start before closing the gap. This time around, despite trailing early both times, the Maidens responded by plating five in the bottom half of the opening frame to overtake the lead 5-2. The Lady Loggers would offset the Maidens the following two innings as both teams scored twice, the visitors with a two run home run by Taylor Munro in the third to counter two the Maidens tacked on in the second.
The Maidens (9-9) would break the game open in the bottom half of the fourth as they sent their entire lineup to the plate and then some. Eight runs would score, spearheaded by a pair of three run taters from hammerin Haylie Webster and clobberin Kiara Sherman that accounted for a half dozen RBIs.
Trailing 4-15 entering the top half of the fifth, the Lady Loggers needed two runs to extend the contest. Designated player Mackenzie Foss singled with one out, advanced on an error, then plated on a passed ball to close within ten. Cleanup batter Munro singled, but her courtesy runner was forced out by the Maiden defense when middle of order batter Sidney Rusdal reached on a fielder's choice. With two out, Kinzee Boehmler would safely single to right field, with Rusdal rounding second and headed for third to shorten the distance needed for her crucial run. But Maiden outfielder Kaydance Santos gloved the ball after a short hop, then fired an online throw to an awaiting Maiden third base Ashlie Welker well ahead of the advancing runner for a tagout as both executed a strategic defensive play that would end the contest after five on account of the ten run mercy rule.
Both Webster and Sherman led the team with four RBIs apiece, a RBI groundout supplementing Sherman's four-bagger and a RBI double by Webster during her first plate appearance. The Maidens also got multiple hits from leadoff Ally Luedtke, Kaleigh Benson and Ashlie Welker to join Webster.
The victory favors Ronan in the event a tie breaker comes into play with Libby for the conference third-seed berth to the State A tournament. However, Ronan must finish strong the remainder of their conference contests, while Libby could still play the role of spoiler the final week of the regular schedule.
Ronan was coming off an 11-5 home loss to Mission-Charlo-Arlee the previous night. They went 2-2 at the Butte Invitational over the weekend, earning wins over Miles City and Manhattan.
Ronan 14, Miles City 2
Ronan 068 – 14 11 3
Miles City 110 – 2 5 4
Ella Morris, Kalynn Heidemann and Hayes Hansen. Maizy Blixt and Ashlie Welker. W – M.Blixt (1-0). L – Morris.
RONAN – Ally Luedtke 1-2, Kaydance Santos 0-0, Hanna Lytton 1-1, LouRasia Weatherwax 0-1, Ashlie Welker 2-2, Sherman 2-3, Haylie Webster 2-3, Blizt 1-2, Hailey Hakes 0-1, Tracee Burland 1-1, Kylee Kelch 1-3, (cr) Wenona Patton-Tenas, Julianna Vizzerra.
MILES CITY – Brynn Notbohm 2-2, Morris 0-1, Heidemann 1-1, Tayor Gallo 0-2, Cadence Blankenship 0-2, Ella Anderson 0-2, Haley Hould 1-2, Izabelle Wagner 1-2, Hansen 0-1, Sierra Stevenson 0-1.
2B – Welker, Kelch. RBIs – Leudtke, Lytton 2, Welker 3, Blixt, Kelch; Gallo. BB – Luedtke, Santos, Lytton, Weatherwax 2, Blixt, Hakes. SB – Patton-Tenas, Lytton, Webster, Santos, Weatherwax; Notbohm. Runs – Luedtke 2, Lytton 2, Weatherwax 2, Welker, Webster 2, Blixt, Hakes, Kelch 2, Patton-Tenas; Notbohm, Wagner.
Corvallis 9, Ronan 4
Ronan 040 0 – 4 3 3
Corvallis 521 1 – 9 9 2
Gabby Krueger (4K) and Jessica Saturday, Kaitlin McCartney. Kiara Sherman (4K) and Harlee Stokes. W – Krueger. L – Sherman (8-9)
RONAN – Luedtke 1-3, Santos 0-0, Weatherwax 1-2, Sherman 0-2, Welker 1-2, Patten-Tenas 0-1, H.Webster 0-1, Stokes 0-1, Blizt 0-1, Hakes 0-2, (cr) Kelch.
CORVALLIS – Sydney Wolsky 1-3, Jailyn McConnell 1-3, Krueger 2-2, McCartney 2-3, Sophie Cooper 1-3, Jaydn Greenwood 2-3, Ella Dowd 0-3, Melanie Race 0-2, Trinity McLane 0-1.
HR – J.Greenwood, Krueger. 2B – McCartney, Cooper. RBIs – Luedtke 2, Weatherwax; Krueger 2, McCartney 2, Cooper, J.Greenwood 3. BB – Santos, Patton-Tenas, Webster; Krueger, McLane. HB – Santos. Sb – Luedtke; J.Greenwood 2. Runs – Luedtke, Welker, Webster; S.Wolsky, Krueger 3, McCartney, Cooper, J.Greenwood 2, McLane.
Havre 10, Ronan 3
Ronan 000 30 – 3 3 4
Havre 140 5x – 10 8 1
Elle Verploegen (7K,6W) and Camille Keeley, (4) Jersi Morse. Kiara Sherman and Harlee Stokes. W – E.Verploegen. L – Sherman (8-8).
RONAN – Luedtke 1-1, Santos 0-3, Weatherwax 0-2, Sherman 0-1, Welker 0-3, Patten-Tenas 1-3, H.Webster 0-3, Corum 1-2, Hakes 0-1, (flex) Stokes, (cr) Kelch.
HAVRE – Avery Carlson 0-1, Lizzi Haney 1-3, Alyssa Oliver 0-3, Molly Huse 1-3, Hannah Gingery 1-3, Keeley 1-3, Morse 3-3, Keylee Kline 0-3, Danni Wirtzberger 0-2.
2B – Gingery, Keeley. RBIs – Corum, Hakes; Haney 2 Oliver 2, Huse 2, Keeley, Morse. BB – Luedtke 2, Weatherwax, Sherman 2, Hakes; Carlson. HB – Carlson. SB – Corum, Luedtke; Carlson, Haney. Runs – Patton-Tenas, Webster, Corum; Carlson 3, Haney 2, Gingery, Keeley, Morse, Wirtzberger 2.
Ronan 9, Manhattan 6
Manh 100 221 – 6 6 2
Ronan 210 60x – 9 9 4
Kiara Sherman and Harlee Stokes. Meagan Elgas and Adele Didriksen. W – Sherman (8-7). L – M.Elgas.
MANHATTAN – Didriksen 1-3, Camdyn Holgate 0-3, Sierra Blanchard 0-3, Zohy O'Rouke 2-3, Paige Ballantyne 1-3, Morgan Pavlik 1-3, Lexi Miller1-3, Delaney Doherty 0-3, M.Elgas 0-2.
RONAN – Luedtke 1-3, Santos 1-3, Weatherwax 2-3, Sherman 1-3, Welker 1-3, Stokes 1-3, H.Webster 2-3, Corum 0-3, Lytton 0-2, Burland 0-1, (cr) Kelch, Patten-Tenas.
HR – Webster. 2B – Weatherwax. RBIs – Didriksen 2, Pavlik 2, Miller; Luedtke, Weatherwax 4, Welker, Webster. BB – Sherman, Welker, Webster. Runs – Didriksen, Blanchard, O'Rouke, Ballantyne, Pavlik, M.Elgas; Luedtke 2, Santos, Weatherwax, Kelch, Patten-Tenas, Webster 2, Corum.
Ronan 15, Libby 5
Libby 202 01 – 5 9 5
Ronan 520 8x – 15 12 2
Kiara Sherman (1W) and Harlee Stokes. Taylor Munro (3⅔IP:3K,1W), (4) Paislee McDonald (⅓IP:1K,1H,1HB) and Kinzee Boehmler. W – Sherman (7-7). L – Munro.
LIBBY – Courtney Benson 0-2, McDonald 1-3, Mackenzie Foss 2-3, Munro 2-2, Sidney Rusdal 0-3, Boehmler 1-3, Destinee Crawford 1-2, , Mylie Rayome 1-2, Lyndee McElmurry 1-2, (flex) Jossalyn White, (cr) Madison Vincent.
RONAN – Ally Luedtke 3-4, Kaleigh Benson 2-4, LouRasia Weatherwax 1-2, Sherman 1-3, Ashlie Welker 2-3, Stokes 1-3, Kaydance Santos 0-3, Haylie Webster 2-3, Mira Corum 0-2, (cr) Brogan Youngren, Kylee Kelch
HR – Munro; Webster, Sherman. 2B – Welker, Webster, Luedtke. RBIs – Munro 3; Luedtke, Sherman 4, Welker 2, Santos 2, Webster 4. SF – Munro. BB – C.Benson; Weatherwax. HB – Corum. ROE – Sherman, Welker, Santos 2. SB – Santos. Runs – C.Benson, McDonald, Foss 2, Munro; Luedtke 2, Benson 2, Weatherwax 2, Youngren, Sherman, Welker 2, Kelch, Santos 2, Webster, Corum.
Mission-Arlee-Charlo 11, Ronan 5
Mssn-A-C 201 121 4 – 11 18 2
Ronan 310 100 0 – 5 7 7
Kiara Sherman (3K,2PO,3A) and Harlee Stokes. Payton Smith (1K,5H,3W,1PO), (4) Izzy Evans (1K,2H,1A) and Katelyn Young. W – Evans (10-2). L – Sherman (6-7).
M-A-C – Jerny Crawford 2-5, Hayleigh Smith 5-5, P.Smith 3-4, Evans 2-5, Rheid Crawford 3-5, Young 1-4, Bennan Andersen 1-4, Gabby Smith 0-4, LettieUmphrey 1-1, Xaria Jacobson 2-3, (flex) Cassidy Orr, (cr) Amelia Cronk.
RONAN – Santos 1-4, K.Benson 1-3, Weatherwax 1-4, Sherman 1-3, Welker 1-3, Stokes 0-2, H.Webster 1-3, Corum 0-3, Luedtke 1-3, (cr) Kelch, Lytton.
HR – Andersen; Weatherwax. 2B – R.Crawford, H.Smith. RBIs – H.Smith 2, P.Smith 2, Evans, R.Crawford, Andersen; Weatherwax 3, Benson. SF – P.Smith; Weatherwax. BB – Benson, Sherman, Stokes. ROE – Evans, P.Smith; Santos, Weatherwax. FC – J.Crawford. SB – J.Crawford 3, H.Smith 2; Benson. Runs – J.Crawford 3, H.Smith 4, Evans, R.Crawford, Andersen, X.Jacobson; Santos, Benson, Weatherwax, Welker, Luedtke.