Lady Pirates tested heading to postseason

The defending state champion Lady Pirates (16-6) closed out the softball regular season with a pair of close games, a 10-7 come-from-behind victory over Libby at home and a 5-4 loss at Columbia Falls.

The WildKats (20-3) won both games against Polson this season and will be the top seed out of the Northwest at the class A state tournament this weekend at Hamilton. The Lady Pirates will be the No. 2 seed, while Ronan (11-11) captured the No. 3 seed over the weekend (see related article inside).

At Columbia Falls for the regular schedule finale of both teams, the outcome would determine which squad would lay claim to the NWA conference crown. In the bottom half of the second, Columbia Falls capitalized on a pair of walks by plating both, with help from a fielding error, to take a 3-0 lead. Another walk two innings later scored on a groundout, leaving Polson trailing 4-0 midway through the contest.

Polson tied the game 4-4 in the top of the seventh with singles by Anna Vert, Katelyne Druyvestein and Nikki Kendall, with Kendall’s driving in two runs. Kendall was later tagged out at the plate.

With two out in the bottom half of the seventh, WildKat Aspen Dawson hit a two-out double, then came around to score the winning run on an error.

The win gave the WildKats a season sweep of the Lady Pirates. Only one other time has C-Falls ever beaten Polson twice in the same season. In 2016 the WildKats won their home contest, then later eliminated the Lady Pirates in consolation competition at the State tournament, both times with KJ Schweikert throwing from the mound.

Polson will face Butte Central (8-11), a team they defeated 8-2 back in March, in the first round of the state tournament. The winner moves on to face the undefeated Billings Central Lady Rams. Polson lost an abbreviated game 11-7 to the Lady Rams at this year’s Butte Invitational.

At Larry Smith Field in Polson for Senior Night, the visiting Lady Loggers of Libby jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning and led 7-3 after two. Polson bounced back with five runs in the fourth and one each in the sixth and seventh to pull out a 10-7 victory.

Libby sent their entire lineup to the plate in the first inning, scoring five runs before shortstop Nikki Kendall was able to stem the bleeding by turning a double play.

Polson responded by plating three runs, capped by Turquoise Pierre mashing a two-bag tater, carving into the deficit 3-5 after one. Libby picked up where they left off the preceding inning by plating two runs on three solid hits for a 7-3 advantage. Polson advanced two runners into scoring position in the bottom half of the second, but were denied the opportunity to capitalize.

Thereafter, Lady Pirate hurler Katelyne Druyvestein settled in, notching a pair of strikeouts interspersed with Libby base runners the next two innings.

Polson ran through their entire lineup in a big fourth inning, not only erasing the deficit, but overtaking the lead on a two RBI single by middle of the order batter Carli Maley, 8-7. Thereafter, Libby was limited to one hit over the course of the next three innings, while the Lady Pirates were able to plate inning leadoff walks for a pair of insurance runs.

It was the final home game for five Lady Pirates: pitcher Katelyne Druyvestein, infielder Jaivin BadBear, outfielders Anna Vert and Turquoise Pierre, and utility player Ashlynn DePoe.

Polson’s victory opened the door for Ronan to qualify for state. The Maidens and Lady Loggers were vying for the final spot from the Northwest heading into the last weekend. Ronan sealed the deal with a doubleheader sweep at Browning on Saturday.

Columbia Falls 5, Polson 4

Polson 000 011 2 – 4 6 2

C-Falls 030 100 1 – 5 4 7

Maddie Moultray (4K,1W) and Demye Rensel. Katelyne Druyvestein (6.2 IP:6K,5W) and Mckenna Hanson. W – Moultray. L – Druyvestein. (15-6).

POLSON – Druyvestein 2-3, Hanson 0-3, Nikki Kendall 1-4, T.Pierre 0-4, Carli Maley 1-3, Avery Starr 1-3, Ashlynn Depoe 0-3, Jaivin BadBear 0-3, Anna Vert 1-3, (cr) Tyneesha Brown, Julia Barnard.

COLUMBIA FALLS – Syd Mann 2-4, Haylee Lawrence 1-4, Aspen Dawson 1-3, Moultray 0-3, Haden Peters 0-3, Alethia Fisher 0-2, Abbie Darsow 0-3, Kyrah Trenkle 0-1, Rensel 0-3, (cr): Addy Bowler.

2B – Kendall; Dawson, Mann. RBIs – Hanson, Depoe; Mann, Lawrence, Dawson, Moultray. SH – Druyvestein, Hanson. BB– Maley; Dawson, Moultray, Fisher, Trenkle 2. ROE – Maley, Depoe, Vert; Dawson, Moultray. FC – Hanson, Kendall, T.Pierre, Starr. Runs – Maley, Vert 2, Brown; Mann, Dawson, Fisher, Trenkle, Bowler.

Polson 10, Libby 7

Libby 520 000 0 – 7 11 1

Polson 300 511 x – 10 8 1

Katelyne Druyvestein (4K,3W) and Mckenna Hanson. Mackenzie Foss (11K,8W,1HB) and Kinzee Boehmler. W – Druyvestein (15-5).

LIBBY – Courtney Benson 2-3, Paislee McDonald 2-4, Foss 1-3, Taylor Munro 2-4, Boehmler 2-4, Sidney Rusdal 2-4, Destinee Crawford 0-2, Aleesha Bradeen 0-1, Mylie Rayome 0-4, Lyndee McElmurry 1-3, (flex) Jossalyn White, (cr) Madison Vincent.

POLSON – Druyvestein 0-3, Hanson 0-2, Nikki Kendall 0-2, Turquoise Pierre 2-4, Carli Maley 1-3, Avery Starr 0-3, Ashlynn Depoe 1-2, Jaivin BadBear 2-3, Anna Vert 0-2, (cr) Julia Barnard.

HR – T.Pierre. 2B – McDonald 2; T.Pierre, Maley, BadBear 2. RBIs – Foss 3, Boehmler, Crawford, Rayome 2; T.Pierre 3, Maley 2, BadBear, Vert. BB – C.Benson, Foss, Crawford; Druyvestein, Hanson 2, Kendall 2, Starr, Depoe, Vert. HB – Maley. ROE – Rayome. FC – Boehmler, Rusdal. SB – Crawford, Rayome; Druyvestein, Barnard 2, Kendall, Depoe, BadBear 2, Vert. Runs – C.Benson 2, McDonald 2, Foss, Boehmler, Rusdal; Druyvestein, Barnard, Kendall 2, T.Pierre 2, Depoe 2, BadBear, Vert.