By Kent Dolezal
The Havre Northstars were in and out of the weekend with a double double, two sweeps in two doubleheaders.
The Stars downed the AA Great Falls Electrics 6-0 and 11-5 Saturday. Sunday, Havre handed the fledgling Hi-Line Mustangs two crushing losses 20-0 and 28-1.
The first game Saturday at Havres Legion Field displayed the talent of Northstar ace Josh Lybecker. Lybecker threw a complete game, shutting out the Volts with only seven hits dispersed over seven innings. Lybecker only allow one base on ball.
Our pitching was great. Our fielding was excellent, and that is a good team, said Northstars coach Mickey Williams They are really progressing well.
Offensively, Havre tallied seven hits, with Jake Ingram going two for three. The Stars scored one run each in the second and fourth, and marked two tallies in both the fifth and sixth. Alan Mapes and Bryan Thompson each hit doubles.
Both squads were errorless.
After spotting the Electrics one run in the top of the second in the late contest, Northstar Mike Holden lead off the Havre second with a double down the third-base line. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Holden scored on a Mace Mangold single.
Nate Baltrusch drew a base on balls, and Ryan Evans hit a shot to bring Mangold across the plate. Jarrod Wirt drove Baltrusch in on a fielders choice, while Steve Fannings single to short left field brought home Evans, giving Havre a 4-1 lead and the margin for good.
Havre added two runs in the third and fifth innings. Great Falls was able to tally a pair of runs in each the sixth and seventh, but Havres three sixth-inning runs helped keep the Volts out of reach.
Alan Mapes pitched a complete game for the Stars, yielding nine hits. Havre recorded 11 hits with only two errors, while Great Falls had five gaffs.
Ricky Brown went three for four with a double to pace Havre hitters. Fanning was two for three, and Holden and Mangold each earned two hits in four at bats. Mangold scored a double, while Evans had the teams only triple.
Havre used a 14-run second inning to down the Hi-Line Mustangs in its first conference game of this season. The Mustangs, in their first year of existence, were no match of the Stars, as they surrendered 17 hits.
The Northstars batted around twice in the second. The first time without forfeiting an out. The highlight of the inning was Mapes two-run home run over the left field fence. Wirt and Fanning each had two RBI in the frame, while Brown blasted a nice triple.
Dan Danielson pitched a complete-game shutout, with only one Hi-Line baserunner getting to third.
In the second tilt, the Hi-Line team took a one-run lead, before Havre responded with 13 runs to finish the inning. Havre cruised through the contest that saw the Malta squad plagued with injuries and overpowered by the pitching of Jake Ingram and Jarrod Wirt.
When you play teams like this (inexperienced), you cant have your kids do things that arent out of the ordinary. Otherwise it just hurts you in the long run, said Williams. Our team did really as far a staying back on the ball. We didnt swing at too many bad pitches. It is hard to play a game like this, whether you are ahead or behind. Malta will be better if they stay together. It is tough on those guys.
