Wildkats take fourth at state softball tourney

by Chris Peterson Hungry Horse News
| May 30, 2012 7:58 AM

The Columbia Falls girls softball team battled to a fourth-place finish after a rocky start at the state Class A tournament last week in Anaconda.

The Wildkats opened the tourney May 24 with a loss to Billing Central 7-1, but came back to win three in a row the next day, beating Sidney 13-3, Anaconda 10-7 and Hamilton 4-3.

The wins set up a showdown with Belgrade on May 25 for a shot to climb back to the finals bracket, but the girls fell just short, losing 11-8.

The Kats were up 5-2 after four innings, but Belgrade added five runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 7-5.

The Panthers added another run in the bottom of the fifth to make it 8-5, but the Kats scored three in the top of the sixth to tie it up, 8-8.

Belgrade rallied with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up for good, 11-8.

The Kats hit the ball well throughout the tournament, with 10 hits against the Panthers, five against Hamilton, and 11 against Anaconda and Sidney. Even in the loss to Billings Central, the Kats had eight hits — they just had a hard time getting runs across the plate.

The Kats finished the season with a 20-7 overall record.

The team, however, will lose some big bats next year, as seniors Shaun Rowe, Niki Birky and Madison Sandefer graduate. But their pitching future is extremely bright.

Starters Ashley Trueblood and Winter Kemppainen are just freshmen, and reliever Catie King is a sophomore.

The Northwest A division was well represented at the tournament. Polson won the tournament, while Frenchtown took third. Belgrade was second.

Belgrade 11, Columbia Falls 8

C. Falls 002 303 0 - 8 10 2

Belgrade 011 513 x - 11 12 2

Ashley Trueblood and Erika Nelson. Justine Taylor and Annie Prickett.

COLUMBIA FALLS - Tiffany Hummer 1-4, Jordan Lefebvre 1-5, Shaun Rowe 1-1, Kathrin Jetty 1-2, Nelson 1-3, Winter Kemppainen 0-4, Madison Sandefer 1-3, Ciarra Holm 0-4, Trueblood 4-4.

BELGRADE - Taylor 1-1, Kristina West 0-4, Morgan Wandler 3-4, Taylor Johnson 1-4, Taylor Hill 3-4, Prickett 3-4, Allison Alstrom 0-3, Joey Severson 0-3, Autumn Rollins 1-3, Marina Layman 0-0.

Columbia Falls 4, Hamilton 3

Hamilton 201 000 0 - 3 3 2

C. Falls 300 001 0 - 4 5 2

Rebecka Hood and Candice Dunagan. Winter Keppainen and Erika Nelson.

HAMILTON - R. Hood 0-4, Kendra Newton 0-3, Nichole Hood 0-2, Dunagan 2-3, Taylor Goligoski 0-3, Shaylan Mohn 0-3, Tayler Reynolds 1-3, Rebecca Lyons 0-3, McKayl Rothie 0-3.

COLUMBIA FALLS - Tiffany Hummer 0-4, Jordan Lefebvre 0-4, Shaun Rowe 0-2, Niki Birky 1-1, Kathrin Jetty 1-3, Madison Sandefer 2-3, Ciarra Holm 0-3, Kemppainen 1-3.

Columbia Falls 10, Anaconda 7

C. Falls 521 010 1 - 10 11 3

Anaconda 030 020 2 - 7 7 4

Ashley Trueblood and Erika Nelson. Brooke Chapman and Courtney Moodry.

COLUMBIA FALLS - Tiffany Hummer 2-5, Jordan Lefebvre 2-5, Shaun Rowe 1-4, Niki Birky 2-4, Nelson 0-2, Kathrin Jetty 1-4, Madison Sandefer 2-4, Ciarra Holm 0-4, Trueblood 1-4.

ANACONDA - Moodry 1-4, Karli King 0-2, Chapman 2-4, Lauren Bolton 0-3, Abby Stanberry 1-4, Ali Forkan 0-3, Delanie Chapman 0-3, Hannah Anderson 1-3, Julia Peterson 2-4.

Columbia Falls 13, Sidney 3

Sidney 200 10 - 3 6 4

C. Falls 353 11 - 13 11 2

Ashley Trueblood, Winter Kemppainen and Erika Nelson. Abby Haraldson and Abby Balcer. W - Trueblood. L - Haraldson.

COLUMBIA FALLS - Tiffany Hummer 2-3, Jaylynn Cantu 0-2, Jordan Lefebvre 0-0, Niki Birky 2-3, Tori Price 1-1, Nelson 2-4, Kathrin Jetty 1-3, Madison Sandefer 2-2, Ciarra Holm 0-3, Trueblood 1-3.

SIDNEY - Morgan Thiel 1-3, Ashley Bjork 1-1, Lindsay Nesper 0-3, Balcer 1-3, Nichole Peters 1-3, Jaycee Searer 0-1, Alexis Dynneson 1-1, Jocelyn Murphy 0-2, Haraldson 0-3, Colleen Crosby 1-2.

2B - Hummer, Birky.

Billings Central 7, C. Falls 1

Bil. Central 102 400 0 - 7 9 1

C. Falls 000 010 0 - 1 8 2

Sarah Stringari and Jessica Moorhouse. Ashley Trueblood and Erika Nelson.

BILLINGS CENTRAL - Ellie Bulltail Scalpone 1-3, Stringari 4-4, Michela Jacobson 1-2, Kehley Grosulak 0-4, Alexa Rockwell 2-4, Sarah Shaw 0-3, Taryn Francischetti 0-4, Moorhouse 0-3, Alison Walter 1-4.

COLUMBIA FALLS - Tiffanny Hummer 1-4, Jaylynn Cantu 2-4, Shaun Rowe 1-4, Niki Birky 2-4, Madison Sandefer 0-4, Erika Nelson 0-4, Kathrin Jetty 0-3, Ciarra Holm 1-2, Trueblood 1-3.