George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
For at least one night, it looked like the Havre North Stars American Legion baseball team was going to have to wait to win their first game ever in the 1st Annual North Stars Memorial Tournament. Having already been pummeled by the Bozeman Spikes earlier in the evening, the North Stars trailed the powerful Richland County (Sidney) Patriots 5-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning in the nightcap of the first day of the tournament at Legion Field in Havre. But that's when Havre rallied, just as it has already done several times this season. The North Stars scored three runs in the sixth behind their big bats of Shane Kemmer and Nick Nault, and then got three outs and a save from Willie DeVries in the seventh to earn an impressive come-from-behind victory. With a pair of runners already on in the bottom half of the sixth, Kemmer pounded a two-run double which scored Joe Malisani and Roman Surber, tying the game at 5-5. And just moments later, first baseman Nick Nault delivered yet another game-winning hit, his third of the season, when he singled in Kemmer to put the North Stars ahead for good. The victory was Havre's fourth comeback win of the season, and it gave the North Stars a split in the first night of the four-day tournament. Despite getting in trouble early in the outing, veteran Josh Haas got the win on the mound, going six innings, surrendering 10 hits and five runs while striking out five and walking just two. Twice, Haas struck out Patriot hitters with runners in scoring position and two outs, keeping the score close early on. The Patriots did get to Havre early however, scoring three runs in the first inning and one in the second. But Havre responded as Kemmer walked, stole second and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Miller in the first inning, while Malisani and Tyler Olthoff scored on a single by Nault in the second as Havre trailed 4-3 after two innings. The Patriots picked up a run in the top of the sixth when John Brisben scored on a shot to left field by Rick Heraldson before Havre's late-inning heroics. Havre managed just four hits in the victory with Nault going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Kemmer also had another solid outing at the plate, while Surber went 1-for-2 with a run scored. The Patriots, who did show their offensive prowess by racking up 10 hits in the game, got a 2-for-3 performance from Chris Lee, including two RBIs. The win saved the North Stars from suffering two losses on a cold and windy opening night of the tournament. In the first game of the evening, Havre suffered a meltdown at the hands of the Bozeman Spikes in a 13-2, fiveinning loss, which included a 20-minute rain delay and saw winds gust up to 50 MPH throughout the affair. The game was also part of a scheduling change as Havre was supposed to play Lewistown, but the Redbirds opted not to come until today because their 4 p.m. game with Bozeman was cancelled due to rain. And although the score was lopsided at the end, the game was close until the Spikes exploded for 10 runs in the top of the fifth inning. Bozeman led just 3-2 heading into the inning, but 15 batters came to the plate in the inning, as the Spikes collected nine hits, including a bases-clearing triple by Dillon Peterson and a basesclearing double by Sean Zabawa. The rough inning chased Havre starter Paul Jensen from the game, while DeVries came in and also struggled to stop Bozeman's offensive outburst as well. Offensively, Havre managed just four hits against Bozeman starter Sam Olson, who went the distance for the Spikes, striking out six North Stars and walking just two. Havre did get a hit, a stolen base and a run scored from Kemmer, while Miller, Justin Jensen and Malisani also collected hits. Meanwhile, Peterson and Zabawa combined to go 5-for-8 and drive in nine runs for the Spikes, who as a team, collected a whopping 15 hits. With the weather starting to improve, the tournament will feature six games today, including two Havre games. The North Stars (7-5) will still play their scheduled game tonight at 9 against the Gallatin Valley Outlaws, and they have added a game against Lewistown to today's schedule. The North Stars and Redbirds are slated to meet at 1:30 p. m. The tournament will also feature six games on Saturday, including Havre taking on the Bitteroot Red Sox at 9 p. m., and three games on Sunday. The tournament concludes with Havre and Lethbridge at 2 p.m. on Sunday
