Northstars excited to return to Legion Field

At this point in the Legion baseball season, every game is important. But when the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball team hosts Lethbridge Saturday, the No. 2 spot in the Northern A district could be on the line.

Starting the week, both the Northstars and the Miners had 10 wins within the district. Yet at 10-6, Havre held a two-game edge in the loss column with Lethbridge at 10-8. Havre was swept at Vauxhall on Wednesday night though, so that will make the doubleheader Saturday at Legion Field critically important with seeding on the line for the district tournament in Medicine Hat July 18-21.

It will be the second Northern A doubleheader of the week for the Northstars who also traveled to Vauxhall, to take on the top team in the district Wednesday. With a difficult road doubleheader looming against Lewistown next Tuesday, followed by two games at home against Vauxhall July 13, every win at this point is essential, especially with all the remaining games coming against teams currently within the top four of the standings.

For the Northstars (20-15, 10-8) it will be the third and fourth meetings against the Miners this season after the two teams split a doubleheader in Canada on June 11. Kennedy McKay beat the Miners after holding them to three hits, while Tony Antley got the loss in the other game as the Northstars fell 9-8.

Playing Lethbridge twice Saturday will mean six games in six days for the Northstars, which will likely cause the use of six different starting pitchers during that stretch for head coach Patch Wirtzberger. That rotation includes McKay and Antley as well as Austin Delarosa, Tyrel Kjersem, Trenton Maloughney and Carson Lunak. When it comes to the bullpen, Hunter Lovenguth has been a reliable option, making 11 appearances.

While the pitching staff will need to deliver some solid performances during the six-game stretch which includes Saturday's showdown with Lethbridge, the offense has been the key barometer for the Northstars, who are 18-4 this season when scoring five runs or more but just 2-6 when they don't.

Overall, Havre's offensive numbers are impressive as it's scoring just under eight runs per game in addition to hitting .314 as a team. The Northstars also excel at getting on base and as a team, they are doing it at a .430 clip, thanks to the 160 walks they have drawn over the course of the season which is just under five per game.

It also doesn't hurt that the Northstars have two players getting on base as often as Quinn Reno and Ethan Roberts. Roberts has an on-base percentage of .581, which leads the team. He also has team-highs in walks (26), runs scored (55) and stolen bases (34). Reno's numbers are equally impressive. He is hitting .469 from the two-slot in the lineup and has an on-base percentage of .541 to go along with a team-leading 40 RBIs and 38 runs scored.

Antley, who has been one of the team's most reliable starting pitchers, has also been consistently strong at the plate this season batting .329 with an on-base percentage of .477, thanks to 23 walks. He also has 26 RBIs and 27 runs scored.

Saturday's doubleheader, which is scheduled to start at 3 p.m., will be the first home game for the Northstars since June 19. Being back at home should be an advantage for the Northstars, who have put together a solid record at home this season, including an 8-4 mark against Northern A opponents. Havre will look to improve upon that record Saturday against Lethbridge. Havre will close out the home schedule against the Vauxhall Spurs July 13.