Local talent shines at 2025 Splash Classic
A hot weekend of softball wrapped up July 5 at the Polson Softball Complex as the 2025 Splash Classic brought together youth teams from across western Montana to compete in 10U, 12U, and 16/18U divisions. The tournament featured strong performances from Polson’s Lady Pirates and other local athletes, who left their mark both on the field and at the home run derby.
The highlight of the weekend for Polson came in the 16/18U division home run derby, where Lady Pirates slugger Opal Nash captured the title with two home runs during regulation. Teammates Kylie Gjesdal-Davis and Liz Cunningham rounded out the podium in second and third, respectively, after a swing-off tiebreaker.
Unfortunately, the Lady Pirates came up just short of making a championship run in the tournament bracket. Despite flashes of solid hitting and defensive grit, the Polson squad fell 6-5 to Libby Haxe in the opening round. Polson had the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on second with two outs in the final inning but couldn’t complete the comeback.
In that matchup, Kelsey Sperry led the way with a perfect 2-for-2 performance at the plate, while Katie Bulawsky struck out six over three innings of work. Nash added a hit and a run, and Kylor Gietzen and Bulawsky each crossed home twice.
Polson also faced stiff competition in pool play, dropping contests to Missoula Riot (9-4), Emeralds-Stickney (6-0), Mission Valley Stars (10-1), and Libby Haxe (6-3). Against Missoula, Nash hit two doubles and drove in a run, while Cunningham and Ahri Rushing each added extra-base hits.
The Missoula Riot claimed the 16/18U championship, defeating the 14U Emeralds-Stickney squad in what appeared to be a run-rule victory.
In the 12U division, the Kalispell Emeralds-VanBroeke squad dominated from start to finish, winning the championship game over the Libby Dirtballers, likely by a 7-3 score based on available reports. Local players also made a strong showing in the home run derby, with Aubrielle Hanson (Emeralds) narrowly taking first place with a deep shot to the fence. Libby’s Madison Foss and Shianne Allen, both representing the Dirtballers, placed second and third, respectively.
The 10U division also featured some memorable moments. The Emeralds-Waverek-Needs team claimed the championship with a victory over the Lady Pirates-Condon, who had earned their way to the final after defeating the C-Town Rebels in bracket play.
Polson’s 10U squad kicked off pool play with a dominant 13-2 win over Libby and a 9-1 victory over the Avalanche-Cooke team. Though they dropped games to the Emeralds and the Rebels during pool play, their strong early performances helped secure a spot in the championship round.
In the 10U home run derby, Autumn Blankenship of Kalispell’s Emeralds came out on top, with Ruth Quiram of the Columbia Falls Rebels finishing second and Emma Wadsworth of Polson placing third—bringing home hardware for the host city.