Local teams go head to head at state softball tourney
Two 14U teams from the Mission Valley participated in the 14U State USA tournament in Billings, and made it to Sunday's double elimination rounds. The Mission Valley Stars ended their tourney with a 3-2 record and the Lady Pirates finished in the top six.
Kieran Incashola of the Mission Valley Stars took to the field for the 2023 Fastpitch Softball State Tournament in Billings. (Bob Gunderson photo)
Lady Pirate Izzy Fyant winds up in the 2023 Fastpitch Softball State Tournament in Billings last weekend. (Bob Gunderson photo)
Lady Pirate Avery Starr winds up for the 18U team during the State USA softball tourney in Billings. (Bob Gunderson photo)
14U Lady Pirates at State USA tourney include: standing – Coach Smith,Natalie Nash, Madison Turner, Emma Smith, Izzy Fyant, Nevaeh Perez, Ahrianna Rushing and Coach McCrea; kneeling – Alyssa Thoft, Logan McCrea, Milee Cordier-Johnson, Aleysia Black and Abbi Sanford.
Several Mission Valley softball squads made the long trip to Billings July 7-9 for the 2023 Fastpitch Softball State Tournament at Will James MS Field. The 14U Lady Pirates went 4-2 over the weekend and Mission Valley Stars – comprised of Ronan, Mission and Charlo players – went 3-2 against a wide variety of summer softball teams.
The 10U Lady Pirates and 12U Lady Pirates also picked up two wins during the state tournament. The 18U Polson Lady Pirates fell to the Missoula Avalanche 8-0 and the Missoula Elite 9-8.
Over 90 teams were in attendance from all around the state, with Mission Valley having seven teams compete.
14U
The 14U Polson Lady Pirates faced the Mission Valley Stars, picking up the 15-4 victory. Their season, however, ended at the hands of MT Freedom Fastpitch in a 15-3 loss.
This would end a run that saw the Lady Pirates defeat the Billings Lady Expos 14-2, and Florence Sparks 14-0. They fell to the Kalispell Emeralds 12-0 but bounced back against Billings Force 9-4 to set up their game against the combo Mission Valley team. They finished the tournament 4-2.
The loss to the Lady Pirates ended Mission Valley's season after a run that saw them drop their first game but defeat the Billings Lady Expos 8-2, Billings Fusion Moore 7-6, and Bitterroot Sparks 5-4.
12U
The 12U Polson Lady Pirates lost their tournament opener 3-2 and moved through their next game as their opponents withdrew. The Lady Pirates followed that up with a 17-2 victory over the Frenchtown Fury. To wrap up their season, Polson lost to the Bitterroot Sparks 17-2. They went 2-2 over in Billings.
The Mission Valley Thunder won their opening game over the Expos-Hutchison 15-0 but fell to the Emeralds-Grady 20-0 and the MT Freedom FP-Ochinero 4-1.
10U
The 10U Polson Lady Pirates won their opening game over Manhattan 16-1, then fell to the Sparks 4-3. The team bounced back with an 18-5 win over the Legacy, but the MT Extreme stopped their tournament run with a 4-3 win over the Pirates, who were 2-2 over the weekend.
The Mission Valley Thunder Fox dropped their first game to Avs-Ries 25-8, but defeated the Hamilton Hot Shots 3-2. The MT Extreme then defeated the Thunder Fox 10-3.
