Baseball goes 3-1 on the week, face Pirates Friday
Nico Young fires in a pitch against Bigfork last week. (Casey Kreider photo)
The Columbia Falls baseball team went 3-1 on the week.
On April 15 they dropped Bigfork on the road 8-2. Jory Hill had a triple and drove in three runs in the top of the seventh to ice the game. Cooper Ross had a double as the Wildcats racked up nine hits.
Nico Young got the win on the mound, striking out seven. Reggie Sapa had one inning of relief and shut down the Vikings with a strikeout and no hits.
On April 17 the Cats suffered their first loss of the season against Hamilton, 8-2 on the road. The Broncs put up five runs in the sixth inning.
Jett Pitts started for the Cats on the mound, giving up three runs and striking out five over four innings. Treysen Murphy came in relief and allowed four hits and five runs, with four of them earned. He struck out two. Cooper Ross pitched a scoreless seventh.
On April 19 the Cats bounced back with a win over Dillon on the road 9-8. The Cats had a 7-3 lead after two innings, but the Beavers put up two in the fifth and three in the sixth to go up 8-7. But in the bottom of the sixth Cooper Ross reached first on an error, Young cracked a double to drive Ross in and Sapa singled to drive in Ross.
“That was a big game for us,” coach Chad Green said.
Dillon has had Columbia Falls’ number the past few seasons in football and basketball, so it was great to get a win against the program, which is well-coached and talented.
The Cats hit the ball well to start, with Pitts hitting a double in the first with the bases loaded to drive in three runs.
Sapa got the start on the mound striking out four and giving up seven runs over five 1/3 innings. Young came in relief struck out three including blanking the Beavers in the top of the seventh for the win.
Against Hamilton, the Cats simply made too many mistakes, Green noted.
“I expect (Dillon and Hamilton) to be at state,” Green said.
The Cats dropped Ronan at home Tuesday 13-3 and host Polson Friday night under the lights for a key conference game at 7 p.m. The boys are now 6-1 on the season.
The Polson game is big, Polson is coming off a win over Florence, who won the state title last season.