Softball wins 4 of 5 heading into important final week
Savvy Ellis picked up four wins in the pitching circle this week as the Kats took down Browning, Custer Couty, Glendive and Shelby. (Jeremy Weber photo)
The Wildkat softball team continued to roll last week, winning four of five games, including downing Browning to maintain their hold on the top spot in the Northwest A Conference.
The Kats have currently won six of their last seven games and nine of their last 11.
The Kats opened the week on the road with a 22-2 pounding of conference foe Browning in only three innings.
“The weather was pretty bad over there and we just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible and we were able to do that,” head coach Dave Kehr said.
The Kats belted 16 hits, including five doubles, in the win, led by Alyssa Blankenship and Trista Cowan, who both finished 3 for 3 at the plate. Kaylee Ashe and Ryley Kehr also each went 2 for 2 in the win.
Savvy Ellis picked up the win in the pitching circle, striking out four in two innings while Isabel Johnson struck out one batter in one inning of action.
The Kats had a tough time in the opening game of the Laverne Tourney in Butte Friday as the fell to Eastern B/C Conference leading Huntley Project, 13-5.
The Kats struck out eight times and committed six errors in the loss.
“They’re a good team and we just didn’t hit the ball as well as we should have,” Dave Kehr said about the loss. “They are in first place for a reason.”
Cowan and Blankenship both hit home runs for the Kats in the loss.
The Kats bounced back in a big way against Custer County in the second game Friday, downing the Cowboys 16-3. Columbia Falls jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one inning and added three more in the second before building a 16-0 lead by the fourth inning.
“They’re not a bad team, we just started hitting the ball again,” Dave Kehr said about the win.
Ashe was a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate and drove in two runs while Cowan was 1 for 3, but added four RBI. Graceanne Sevesind was 2 for 3 with a triple and an RBI, Riley Kehr was 3 for 4 with two RBI and Abby Underdahl drove in two with a pair of doubles.
The Kats jumped out to a 7-0 lead after three innings against Glendive Saturday and held on to pick up a 7-4 victory. Ellis picked up the win in the circle, but Johnson pitched the final two innings after Ellis injured her finger in the fifth. Blankenship was 3 for 3 with a home run in the win.
The Kats finished out the weekend with a 15-0 thrashing of Shelby in three innings, including a 10-run first inning. Shelby issued eight walks and hit four batters as the Kats cruised to victory.
For coach Kehr, it was not the level of competition he was hoping for heading into this week’s tough matchups with Frenchtown and Polson.
“I was hoping we would draw a little better opponent to help us get ready for Frenchtown this week, but that’s just how it worked out,” he said. “Our plan is to compete well against Frenchtown and then carry that momentum into Thursday’s game against Polson.”
The Kats hosted Frenchtown in a non-conference matchup Tuesday and will host Polson Thursday before traveling to Ronan to finish out the regular season Friday.