Saturday, May 29, 2021
By Daily Inter Lake
BUTTE — Junior pitcher Katelynne Druyvestein dominated and the Polson Pirates are again State A softball champions, with a 9-3 victory over Frenchtown Saturday at Stodden Park.
The title-game win over the Broncs came after a nail-biter in the 9 a.m. unbeaten semifinal: Polson needed nine innings to beat Laurel 1-0, which was the Locomotives’ first loss.
Frenchtown then beat Laurel 10-6 — avenging a 5-2 loss on Friday — to reach the championship. The Broncs needed to beat Polson twice to win the title, and instead fell to 0-2 against the Pirates this season.
It’s Polson’s eighth state softball title and first since 2012, to go with two runner-up finishes. The Pirates lost the 2019 State A championship to Belgrade.
Polson 9, Frenchtown 3
Druyvestein held the Broncs to four hits, completing an excellent tournament in which she threw every inning for Polson, 30 in all. She allowed just 17 hits, four walks, 9 runs (three earned) and struck out 49.
She fanned six against Frenchtown, and only one of the Broncs’ runs was earned.
Offensively Josie Caye led off the game with a home run, had three hits — including an RBI single in Polson’s 4-run sixth inning — and scored three runs for the Pirates (23-1).
Turquoise Pierre drove in a run with a single and Anna Vert added a sacrifice fly in the second inning as Polson built a 3-0 lead; Mckenna Hanson singled and scored on Pierre’s sac fly in the fourth.
Up 5-2, Polson put the game away in the sixth starting with Mossy Kauley’s one-out solo homer. Pierre and Vert followed with singles; both scored.
Caye added her RBI single and came around on a couple wild pitches and Druyvestein’s groundout to make it 9-2.
Kendra Jacobs went most of the way in relief for Frenchtown, and gave up 11 hits.
The Broncs (22-7) had Abby Faulhaber’s RBI double in the third, and Khasidy Hodge singled in a run in the sixth. Frenchtown’s third run scored when Cassidy Bagnell’s fly to left was dropped for an error and Faulhaber, who’d also reached on an error, scored.
Frenchtown 001 001 1 – 3 4 1
Polson 120 114 x – 9 12 3
Sadie Smith, Olivia Campbell (1), Kendra Jacobs (1) and Tony Beatty. Katelynn Druyvestein and Lexie Orien.
FRENCHTOWN — Cassidy Bagnell 0-3, Smith 1-4, Maddy Reggers 0-3, Shelby Miotke 0-3, Dakota Fortney 0-0, Juna Ashby 0-3, Khasidy Hodge 1-2, Chloe Long 0-3, Beatty 1-3, Abby Faulhaber 1-3, Alexis Godin 0-0.
POLSON — Josie Caye 3-4, Druyvestein 1-4, Kobbey Smith 0-3, Orien 2-4, SaVanna Carpentier 1-3, Mckenna Hanson 1-3, Mossy Kauley 1-3, Turquoise Pierre 2-2, Anna Vert 1-2.
2B — Faulhaber. HR — Caye, Kauley. RBI — Bagnell, Hodge, Faulhaber, Caye 2, Pierre 2, Druyvestein, Orien, Kauley, Vert.
Polson downs previously undefeated Laurel
Polson 1, Laurel 0
Druyvestein was again masterful, scattering six hits and no walks in nine innings, and striking out 16.
Nearly matching her was Laurel’s Ella Crookston, who allowed seven hits, walked none and fanned 13.
Kauley’s double that drove in Mckenna Henson provided the game-winner in the ninth. Laurel then lost to Frenchtown to end its season 19-2.
Polson 000 000 001 – 1 7 1
Laurel 000 000 000 – 0 6 2
Druyvestein and Orien. Ella Crookston and
POLSON — Caye 1-4, Druyvestein 2-4, Smith 0-3, Orien 2-4, Carpentier 0-4, Hanson 1-4, Kauley 1-4, Pierre 0-4, Vert 0-3.
LAUREL — Josie Benson 0-4, Taylor Feller 1-4, Cora Styles 1-4, Lexie Stahlman 1-4, Bailey Chapman 0-4, Shelby Block 1-4, Taylor Strecker 1-4, Mikayla Moorman 1-3, Anderson 0-3.
2B — Kaulley, Moorman. RBI — Kauley.
Friday, May 28, 2021
Polson now one win away from state title berth
BUTTE — When Mckenna Hanson’s sixth inning three-run homer cleared the fence and temporarily broke the game open, there was a feeling of, “Is it really going to be this easy?”
In short, the answer was no, but the Polson Pirates did go on to defeat the Lewistown Golden Eagles 5-4 Friday at Stodden Park.
Trailing 5-0 with one out in the bottom of the sixth, Lewistown’s Maddison Affolder got to second base thanks to a throwing error to first base on a grounder to third. Eagles starting pitcher Jessica Morgan smacked a double in the left-centerfield gap to put runners on second and third. Both of those runners scored on another infield throwing error by Polson. The error was once again followed by a double, this time by Eliazar Southard, to put runners at second and third again.
Polson ace Katelyne Druyvestein struck out the next batter. Riley Anderson then bunted for a hit, scoring Chelsea Jensen from third. Polson coach Jami Hanson insisted that Anderson ran too far inside the baseline on her way to first, but the umpires said play on.
With runners on first and third and one out, Southard scored on a wonderfully executed double steal. Druyvestein fanned the next batter to end the frame.
After the Pirates went quietly in the top of the seventh, Druyvestein trotted back out to the circle with ice water in her veins.
“I knew I didn’t need to get riled up because we had some things going on with the (umpires) in the sixth inning,” she said. “And so I knew we had to come back calm and cool, just like we were in the beginning of the game.”
The left-handed junior struck out the first two batters on seven pitches. A pair of Golden Eagles managed to reach base with two outs, but Druyvestein sat down the final batter on strikes to end the game.
Druyvestein struck out 14, walked one and scattered five hits over seven innings with 125 pitches.
Morgan, her counterpart was also impressive. She struck out 10 over seven innings, gave up seven hits and walked one on 107 pitches.
Morgan’s one mistake, however, she paid for.
With two on and one out, Hanson stepped up to bat. The stiff breeze that was blowing straight in from right field had shifted. Now it was blowing right to left, looking at the field from behind home plate.
“I was super nervous. I wasn’t even thinking about what she was throwing me,” Hanson said. “I was just like, ‘I just want to hit it.’ And she threw one right down the middle and a little bit inside, and those are my favorite.”
The freshman launched one to deep right field, right down the foul line.
“I thought it was going foul,” she said. “It was definitely curving but I think the wind brought it back.”
Kobbey Smith went 2-for-3 with a run scored for Polson. Southard paced the Eagles offense, going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Polson plays Laurel at 9 a.m. Saturday with a trip to the state championship on the line.
Polson to face Laurel, Columbia Falls run ends
Daily Interlake
BUTTE — Polson got within one win of the title game and Columbia Falls made a run through the loser’s bracket to highlight Friday’s action at the State A softball tournament at Stodden Park.
The Pirates held off Lewistown 5-4 in the winner’s bracket, leaving Lewistown to face Columbia Falls — which won twice earlier Friday — to stay alive.
The Eagles ousted the Wildkats 8-4. Columbia Falls began the day with a 14-4 win over Havre and a 9-2 thumping of Billings Central.
The Pirates (21-1) take on Laurel (19-0) at 9 a.m. Saturday in the winner’s bracket semifinal.
Lewistown (17-6) and Frenchtown (20-6) square off at the same time, with the loser taking fourth.
The championship is set for 1 p.m.
In early loser-out play, Corvallis beat Libby 11-1.
Polson 5, Lewistown 4
McKenna Hanson’s 3-run homer in the sixth put Polson ahead 5-0, and then the Pirates had to withstand Lewistown’s sixth-inning rally.
Three errors in the frame helped the Eagles, who also had doubles from Jessica Morgan and Eliazar Southard. Eventually Katelynne Druyvenstein got a strike out — her 11th out of 14 in the game — to end the threat.
She fanned three more Eagles, sandwiched around two walks, to close out the seventh inning.
Mossey Kaulley’s RBI grounder scored one of Polson’s two runs in the fourth.
Morgan fanned 10 pirates, and one her five runs allowed were earned.
Polson 000 203 0 – 5 5 4
Lewistown 000 004 0 – 4 4 4
Katelynne Druyvestein and Lexie Orien. J Morgan and
POLSON — Josie Caye 1-4, Druyvestein 0-4, Kobbey Smith 2-3, Orien 0-4, SaVanna Carpentier 1-3, Mckenna Hanson 1-3, Mossy Kauley 0-3, Turquoise Pierre 0-3, Anna Vert 0-3, Jaevin Bad Bear 0-0.
LEWISTOWN — M Affolder 1-4, Morgan 1-3, C Jensen 0-4, E Southamd 2-3, H Welsh 0-3, B Andeson 0-3, A Gremaux 0-3, S Talkington 0-3, M Denton 0-1, K Southworth 0-2, Josie Dubbs 0-0.
HR — Hanson. RBI — Hanson 3, Kauley, Jensen, Anderson.
Thursday, May 27, 2021
A workman-like victory for Polson as Pirates rout Corvallis
Nothing flashy, just a few timely hits and limited mistakes helped the No. 1 seed Polson Pirates cruise by the Corvallis Blue Devils 9-2.
“That’s been us all year,” said Pirates coach Jami Hanson. “We just go out, take care of business and then it’s onto the next.”
Katelyne Druyvestein went 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk and two runs scored. She also pitched a complete-game gem and located all of her pitches masterfully, striking out 12 Blue Devils.
Kobbey Smith added a pair of singles and Josie Caye had a two-run single for the Pirates, who are one of the favorites to win this tournament.
The Corvallis offense did not get much going until the final frame, when Sydney Wolsky hit a solo home run on the first pitch she saw to get the Polson lead to 9-2. Macee Greenwood hit a double to the centerfield fence, but that would be all the Blue Devils mustered.
Polson advances to play Lewistown on Friday at 1 p.m.
From the Daily Interlake
BUTTE — Mckenna Hanson’s 2-run single keyed a 4-run third inning for Polson, and the Pirates subdued Corvallis to move on in the State B softball tournament at Stodden Park Thursday.
Katelynn Druyvestein backed her own pitching with an RBI triple in the first, and she singled and scored on Kobbey Smith’s ground in the fourth to put the Pirates up 7-1.
She also threw a three-hitter in the circle, allowing three walks and striking out 13.
Sydney Wolsky had an RBI sac bunt in the second inning and a solo homer in the seventh for the Blue Devils.
Corvallis 010 000 1 – 2 3 5
Polson 204 120 x – 9 10 2
S. Krueger, M. Greenwood (4) and S. Knapp. Katelynne Druyvestein and Lexie Orien.
CORVALLIS — Greenwood 2-3, E Cashell 0-3, J McConnell 0-1, Knapp 0-3, K McCartney 0-2, Krueger 0-2, K Bebner 0-2, S Walsky 1-2, J Saturday 0-3, J Greenwood 0-2, E Dowd 0-1.
POLSON — Josie Caye 1-2, Druyvestein 2-3, Kobbey Smith 2-3, Orien 1-4, SaVanna Carpentier 1-3, Mckenna Hanson 1-3, Mossy Kauley 0-2, Turquoise Pierre 1-3, Anna Vert 1-3, Jaevin Bad Bear 0-0, Nikki Kendall 0-0.
2B — Greenwood. 3B — Druyvestein. HR — Wolsky. RBI — Wolsky 2, Caye 2, Smith 2, Hanson 2, Kauley, Druyvestein.