Columbia Falls softball opens play this weekend

Hungry Horse News

The Columbia Falls softball team is young, but talented this season, coach Dave Kehr said.

The Wildkats are set to open play in a doubleheader Saturday in Polson, squaring off in the first game against Plains and then Butte Central in the nightcap.

Kehr said he can’t remember ever playing Plains in his 20-plus year career, but Central is always a solid squad.

The Wildkats lost four girls to graduation, including Abby Underdahl, but he likes this team’s athletic ability.

“We’re probably overall one of the faster teams in the conference,” he said.

They’ll look for good things from the likes of Hailey Lawrence, Maddie Moultray, Sydney Mann, Alethia Fisher, Abbie Darsow and Demi Rensel just to name a few.

Expect Moultray to see time on the mound, as well as Mann.

All told, they have nine sophomores and six freshmen on the squad.

The team has just three seniors in Lawrence, Darsow and Fisher.

“We’ve got six or seven girls that can play multiple positions,” he said.

Last year the Wildkats were 13-13 overall and went .500 at the state tournament.

Polson’s always, tough and is the team to beat, Kehr noted. The Pirates won the state A crown last year.

“It will be a good conference,” he said.

The Kats’ home opener is April 7 against AA Glacier.

Gametime is 5:30 p.m.

Kehr is assisted by Rick Lawrence, Chuck Freeman, Mark Darsow and Nikki Fisher.

The team is on the road a lot this season — two weeks in the middle of April.

The goal is simple, Kehr said — qualify for the state tournament.