Polson Softball powers past Ronan, Libby

It was a busy week for Lake County softball as Polson continued its dominant run with back-to-back wins over Ronan and Libby, while Ronan fell in two games, including a thrilling extra-inning contest against Columbia Falls.

Ronan edged by Columbia Falls in nine-inning thriller

On Tuesday at home, Ronan nearly pulled off an upset over visiting Columbia Falls in one of the most exciting games of the season, falling 9-8 in a nine-inning heartbreaker.

The Maidens held multiple leads throughout the game, using a strong offensive performance and gutsy pitching from Kailyn Marengo, who threw all nine innings. Marengo struck out nine while allowing 15 hits and nine earned runs. Despite walking seven, she kept Ronan in the game deep into extra innings.

Offensively, Ronan was led by Kai-Cee Sorrell, who went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, driving in a run and scoring twice. Ally Luedtke also homered and knocked in three runs, while Nevaeh Perez went 2-for-3 and Hadassah Read added two hits and an RBI. Marengo helped her own cause with a hit and two RBIs.

Columbia Falls took an early 2-0 lead, but Ronan responded in the first. After falling behind again in the fourth, the Maidens put up a three-run fifth to retake the lead. The game remained tight until the Wildcats pushed across the eventual game-winner in the ninth.

Polson shuts down Ronan in cross-county clash

Ronan had little time to regroup, hosting Polson on Friday in a rivalry matchup. The Lady Pirates delivered a complete performance, rolling to a 13-0 shutout in six innings.

Polson’s offense exploded for 16 hits while pitcher Sam Rensvold threw a gem, allowing just one hit and one walk over six innings with four strikeouts.

Rensvold also went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate, driving in two runs and doubling in the first inning. Olivia Jore went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Opal Nash knocked in three more. Ahri Rushing and Jaja Nichols added two RBIs combined as the Lady Pirates scored in every inning but the fifth.

Ronan struggled defensively, committing six errors and managing just one hit, a single by Kylee Kelch. Marengo took the loss, allowing eight earned runs in just under five innings of work, before Alexa Youngren came on in relief.

The victory marked another strong outing for Polson, which continues to dominate on both sides of the ball in Class A play.

Polson handles Libby behind Rensvold’s arm, steady offense

Polson wrapped up the week with an 8-2 home win over Libby on Saturday. Once again, Rensvold played a key role, going the distance in the circle and allowing only three hits and no earned runs while striking out five.

The Lady Pirates built a 1-0 lead early before exploding for six runs in the fourth inning to break the game open. Their offense collected 10 hits, with Liz Cunningham going 2-for-3 and knocking in a run. Jore, Nash, Perez, and Nichols each drove in runs, and Rensvold helped her own cause with a 2-for-4 day at the plate and an RBI.

Libby responded with single runs in the sixth and seventh but couldn't mount a serious comeback.

With the victory, Polson improved to 13-3-1 on the season and continues to sit among the top teams in Class A behind a deep lineup, strong pitching, and solid defensive play.

Polson falls to glacier in high-powered slugfest

In a game loaded with power hitting and explosive innings, Polson came up short in a 15-5 loss to Glacier on Tuesday, April 29 in Kalispell. The nonconference matchup featured 10 extra-base hits, including five home runs, as both teams traded offensive fireworks.

Polson’s offense collected 11 hits, including a pair of home runs. Jaja Nichols launched her first-ever over-the-fence home run in the second inning, a solo shot to left field that got the Lady Pirates on the board. Emma Smith added a two-run blast in the fifth, her second of the season, to help close the gap briefly.

Glacier, however, took control early with a massive 10-run second inning, cycling through their entire lineup and capitalizing on seven Polson errors. The Lady Wolfpack totaled 13 hits and had home runs from Olivia Gibbons, Ava Grady, and Olivia Warriner, all of whom also had multi-RBI games.

Gibbons earned the win in the circle for Glacier, improving to 6-0. She also contributed at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Polson’s Sam Rensvold took the loss, allowing six hits in 1⅔ innings. Maddy Turner provided relief, pitching 3⅔ innings with one strikeout.

Despite the loss, Polson had several bright spots. Olivia Jore, Liz Cunningham, Emma Smith, and Sierra Perez each tallied multiple hits. Cunningham also added a stolen base and scored twice.

Tuesday, April 29

At Ronan

COLUMBIA FALLS 9, RONAN 8

C-Falls - 200042001 - 9 - 15 - 2

Ronan - 130030100 - 8 - 12 - 2

RONAN HITTING: Adrienne Crockett 1-4, Autumn Lozeau 0-5, Nevaeh Perez 2-3, Kailyn Marengo 1-5, Hadassah Read 2-5, Ally Luedtke 1-5, Kai-Cee Sorrell 3-5, Kylee Kelch 1-4, Shelby Taylor 0-2; RBI: Marengo 2, Read, Luedtke 3, Sorrell, Taylor; 2B: Sorrell; HR: Luedtke, Sorrell

RONAN PITCHING: Kailyn Marengo (9IP, 15H, 9R, 9ER, 7BB, 9SO)

Friday, May 2

At Ronan

POLSON 13, RONAN 0

Polson - 130234 - 13 - 16 - 1

Ronan - 000000 - 0 - 1 - 6

POLSON HITTING: Sam Rensvold 5-5, Olivia Jore 3-4, Liz Cunningham 1-2, Opal Nash 1-4, Emma Smith 0-3, Sierra Perez 2-4, Aaliyah Adams 1-4, Ahri Rushing 2-4, Jaja Nichols 1-2; RBI: Rensvold 2, Jore 3, Cunningham, Nash 3, Rushing, Nichols 2; 2B: Rensvold

POLSON PITCHING: Sam Rensvold (6IP, 1H, 0R, 1BB, 4SO)

RONAN HITTING: Adrienne Crockett 0-2, Alexa Youngren 0-1, Autumn Lozeau 0-3, Nevaeh Perez 0-3, Kailyn Marengo 0-2, Hadassah Read 0-1, Ally Luedtke 0-2, Kai-Cee Sorrell 0-2, Kylee Kelch 1-2, Hanna Lytton 0-1

RONAN PITCHING: Kailyn Marengo (4 and 2/3IP, 12H, 9R, 8ER, 3BB, 1SO), Alexa Youngren (1 and 1/3IP, 4H, 4R, 0ER, 1BB, 1SO)

Saturday, May 3

At Polson

POLSON 8, LIBBY 2

Libby - 0000101 - 2 - 3 - 1

Polson - 100610x - 8 - 10 - 5

POLSON HITTING: Sam Rensvold 2-4, Olivia Jore 1-3, Liz Cunningham 2-3, Opal Nash 1-4, Emma Smith 1-4, Sierra Perez 1-4, Aaliyah Adams 0-1, Ahri Rushing 1-2, Jaja Nichols 1-2; RBI: Rensvold, Jore 2, Nash, Perez, Nichols 2

POLSON PITCHING: Sam Rensvold (7IP, 3H, 2R, 0ER, 1BB, 5SO) 

    Samantha Rensvold delivers a shutout versus Ronan. (Bob Gunderson photo)