Maidens secure spot on state stage

At Browning for the regular schedule finale Saturday, the visiting Maidens took care of business, sweeping a doubleheader to secure the Northwest A conference’s No. 3 seed to this weekend’s state A tournament at Hamilton.

Contingent upon the outcome of their doubleheader, Ronan held the tie breaker in run differential over their series split with Libby when they 10-run ruled the Lady Loggers.

The Maidens had 10 extra base hits over the course of the two contests against the Lady Indians that generated over two dozen RBIs as both games ended by means of the 10-run mercy rule.

Their preceding conference clashes with Polson and Columbia Falls were equally lopsided, although in these cases the Maidens found the shoe on the other foot as their respective opponents were less than accommodating about providing a platform for productive performance as they culminated their contests with sweeps of their season series.

Ronan (11-11) will get a third crack at solving the riddle of the Lady Blue Devils of Corvallis in their opening round contest at the State A tournament. The Maidens have been able to score runs off Corvallis pitching during their two preceding encounters, but have struggled to hold the lid down on counterstrikes from exceeding their efforts.

Senior hurler Kiara Sherman is the main workhorse from the mound, intermixing off speed pitches that paint the corners of the strike zone with an average of a strikeout every pair of innings. The top half of the order is batting within the vicinity of .400, having collaborated on a cumulative tally of extra base hits among the 20s.

At Ronan for the Maidens’ Senior Night on May 22, the visiting Lady Pirates proved less than accommodating as they cobbled together a three-run lead after the opening half of the first frame. The Maidens quickly sought to craft a counter, advancing two runners into scoring position, benefiting from an outfield fielding error followed by a solid single. But both runners would be denied the opportunity to plate when they were left stranded. Thereafter, only two batters would reach base the remainder of the contest, their best opportunity a lost in the sun flyout that allowed Maiden leadoff Ally Luedtke to advance to second.

The Maidens will graduate four seniors: pitcher Kiara Sherman, infielders Ashlie Welker and Haylie Webster, and utility player Julianna Vizzerra.

Game 2: Ronan 19, Browning 0

Browning 0( 0 )0 – 0 1 6

Ronan 8(11)x – 19 8 0

Kiara Sherman (5K) and Ashlie Welker. Brooke Blue and Natalee St.Goddard. W – Sherman (10-11)

BROWNING – St.Goddard 0-2, Blue 0-1, Bird 0-1, Vaile 0-1, Augare 0-1, Bird 0-2, Tayen England 0-1, Justine Whitford 0-1, Grinsell 0-1, Aubriana Momberg 1-1.

RONAN – Ally Luedtke 2-3, Welker 2-3, LouRasia Weatherwax 0-3, Sherman 0-1, Corum 1-2, Tracee Burland 1-2, Harlee Stokes 0-0, K.POT 1-1, H.Webster 1-1, Kylee Kelch 0-2, (cr) Julianna Vizzerra 0-3.

2B – Welker 2, H.Webster, Luedtke. RBIs – Luedtke 2, Welker 3, Corum, Burland, Stokes, K.POT 2, H.Webster 2, Kelch. BB – Corum, Stokes, K.POT 2, H.Webster, Kelch. HB – Sherman 2, H.Webster, Kelch. SB – Vizzerra, Luedtke. Runs – Luedtke 3, Welker 2, Weatherwax, Corum 3, Burland, Stokes, K.POT 2, H.Webster 2, Kelcy, Vizzerra 2.

Game 1: Ronan 17, Browning 2

Ronan 311 66 – 17 10 2

Browning 002 00 – 2 4 3

Susan Connelly and Natalee St.Goddard. Kiara Sherman (7K,1W) and Haylie Webster, Ashlie Welker. W – Sherman (9-11).

RONAN – Ally Luedtke 1-3, Welker 1-4, LouRasia Weatherwax 3-4, Sherman 0-3, H.Webster 0-4, Wenona Patton-Tenas 0-1, Hanna Lytton 0-0, Mira Corum 3-4, Kamiah PrettyOnTop 2-2, Julianna Vizzerra 0-3, (cr).

BROWNING – Kaytins Evans 1-3, St.Goddard 0-3, Blue 1-2, Paris Vaile 0-1, Madison Augare 0-2, Whitley Bird 0-2, Emily Williams 1-2, T.Upham 0-0, Joslyn.Grinsell 0-2, S.Connelly 1-2.

2B – Weatherwax 2, Welker, Corum, K.POT 2. RBIs – Welker, Weatherwax 4, W.P-T, Corum 3, K.POT 3, Vizzerra; Blue 2. BB – Luedtke, Welker, W.PT, Lytton 2, K.POT; Vaile. HB – Weatherwax, Sherman 2, Vizzerra, K.POT, Luedtke. SB – Weatherwax 2, H.Webster, Corum, Luedtke 2. Runs – Luedtke 2, Welker, Weatherwax 2, Sherman, H.Webster, Lytton 2, Corum 3, K.POT 2, Vizzerra 2; St.Goddard, S.Connelly.

Columbia Falls 20, Ronan 3

Ronan 000 30 – 3 4 4

C-Falls 824 6x – 20 16 2

Kiara Sherman (1IP:1K,7H,2W), (2) Maizy Blixt (2.1 IP:11H,3W), Kamiah PrettyOnTop (0.2 IP:2H,1W) and Haylie Webster. Maddie Moultray (2IP:4K,2W), (3) Syd Man (2IP:3K,1H,2W,1HB), Haden Peters and Demye Rensel. W – Moultray. L – Sherman. (8-11).

RONAN – Ally Luedtke1-2, Ashlie Welker 2-3, LouRasia Weatherwax 1-3, Sherman 0-1, Blixt 0-0, Haylie Webster 0-2, Wenona Patton-Tenas 0-2, Mira Corum 0-1, Kamiah PrettyOnTop 0-2, Julianna Vizzerra 0-2.

COLUMBIA FALLS – Syd Mann 1-4, Aspen Dawson 3-4, Peters 1-5, Moultray 2-3, Rensel 2-3, Kyrah Trenkle 2-2, Maddy Collins 2-2, Sophie Robbins 1-1, Alethia Fisher 1-2, Addy Bowler 0-0, Abbie Darsow 0-2, Taylor Lingle 0-1, Haylee Lawrence 1-3, (cr): Kylee Stacy, Anika Reid.

HR – Weatherwax; Collins, Moultray, Rensel. 3B – S.Mann. 2B – Collins, Trenkle. RBIs – Weatherwax 3; S.Mann 3, Dawson, Moultray 4, Rensel 2, Trenkle, Collins 3, Darsow, Lingle, Lawrence 2. BB – Luedtke, Blixt; S.Mann, Moultray, Rensel, Fisher, Bowler, Darsow. HB – Corum; Dawson. ROE – Weatherwax, Welker. FC – Dawson, Lingle. Runs – Luedtke, Welker, Weatherwax; S.Mann 3, Dawson 2, Peters, Moultray 2, Rensel, Trenkle, Collins 2, Robbins, Fisher, Bowler, Lingle, Stacy 2, Reid 2.

Polson 15, Ronan 0

Polson 334 05 – 15 17 2

Ronan 000 00 – 0 2 4

Kiara Sherman (4.2 IP:2K,2W,1IW,1HB,1PO,1A), (5) Maizy Blixt (0.1 IP:1A) and Ashlee Welker. Druyvestein (11K,1W) and Mckenna Hanson. W – Druyvestein (14-5). L – Sherman (8-10).

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

RONAN – Ally Luedtke 1-3, Harlee Stokes 0-2, LouRasia Weatherwax 0-2, Ashlie Welker 1-2, Sherman 0-2, Haylie Webster 0-1, Kylee Kelch 0-2, Wenona Patton-Tenas 0-2, Julianna Vizzerra 0-2, (flex) Mira Corum.

HR – T.Pierre. 2B – Hanson 2, Maley 2, Starr. RBIs – Hanson 2, Kendall, T.Pierre 4, Maley 3, Starr 2, BadBear. BB – Druyvestein, Kendall 2; H.Webster. HB – Hanson. ROE – Kendall, Maley, Starr; Weatherwax. FC – Depoe. SB – Druyvestein, Barnard, T.Pierre 2, BadBear, Vert. Runs – Druyvestein 2, Barnard 3, Kendall 3, T.Pierre 3, Caitlyn Ward, Kailey Smith, BadBear, Vert.