Softball team drops three heading into state tourney
Wildkat third baseman Alyssa Blankenship attempts to tag Polson’s Reegan Stinger in the sixth inning Thursday. (Jeremy Weber photo)
Chloe Kienas makes a play on a ball at second base against Polson Thursday. (Jeremy Weber photo)
Riley Kehr receives the ball during a pickoff play against Polson Thursday. (Jeremy Weber photo)
Alyssa Blankenship tags out Frenchtown runner Charity rebich in the seventh inning Tuesday. (Jeremy Weber photo)
Columbia Falls shortstop Trista Cowan makes a play on Frenchtown baserunner Layne Bauer in the second inning Tuesday.
The Wildkat softball team will head into this week’s state tournament in Polson as the second seed from the Northwest A Conference after dropping three games to close out the regular season last week.
The Kats couldn’t overcome a 5-run second inning by the 15-6 Lady Broncs Tuesday as Columbia Falls fell to Frenchtown, 9-2.
The Kats trailed 1-0 after one inning but Frenchtown added five runs on four hits, a walk and a Wildkat error in the second inning to go up 6-0.
The Lady Broncs pushed their lead to 8-0 in the fourth inning before the Kats finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth.
Trista Cowan reached base on a hard hit ball past the shortstop and Graceanne Sevesind followed with a single into left field. After Cowan stole third, Isabell Johnson brought both runners home with an 2-RBI double to the wall in left center.
They would be the only two runs the Kats would get as they went on to lose by seven.
Cowan was two for three at the plate in the loss while Sevesind, Johnson, Kaylee Ashe and Ryley Kehr had the only other hits for Columbia Falls.
The Kats were on the road at Ronan Wednesday, where they saw a 6-2 fifth-inning lead disappear in an 8-6 loss to the Maidens.
The Kats scored four in the first and three in the third to jump out to a 5-2 lead before adding another run in the top of the fifth.
Ronan answered with five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead and added one more in the sixth en route to the win.
Cowan and Johnson both hit home runs for the Kats in the loss as Cowan finished with three RBI and Johnson added two.
The Kats were back home Thursday as they battled cold and wet conditions to take on Polson.
The Lady Pirates jumped out a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning and pushed their lead to 4-0 in the fourth before the Kats got on the board in the bottom of the inning. Sevesind led off the bottom of the fourth with a single for the Kats and courtesy runner Abbie Darsow later scored on a throw to second on a single to right by Chloe Kienas.
Polson added another run in the sixth to go up 5-1 but Kehr led off the bottom of the inning with a homer to cut the lead to 5-2. Three consecutive singles by Johnson, McKenna Rensel and Kienas brought in another run to cut the lead to 5-3, but is was as close as the Kats would get as they gave up two runs in the seventh.
The Kats open state tournament play in Polson against Stevensville Thursday at 1 p.m.