Comeback night at Legion Field

The Havre North Stars American Legion baseball team is starting to get a flare for the dramatic, especially after pulling a second, improbable come-from-behind win in two days.

Sunday, the North Stars rallied from an 11-3 deficit to beat Medicine Hat. Tuesday night at Legion Field against Tri-County, the North Stars never got down that much, but trailed 10-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning, before scoring four runs to win the game 11-10. The win completed a sweep of the Cardinals, as Havre won the first game of the doubleheader, 8-2.

"We talk all the time about sweeping teams at home and we did that," North Stars head coach Dick Fuzesy said. "We won, but we made some mistakes we shouldn't have made. We shouldn't have been down in that game, with that team. Sometimes, when you win, it covers things up, but we know we have a lot to work on. But I am proud of them. They kept fighting and we got the win."

Early on, it looked like the North Stars would cruise to a sweep over Tri-County. After winning the first game, Havre built a 5-0 lead through four innings. However, after the Cardinals scored five runs in the top of the fifth, the game was tied. The home team regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but five more in the sixth for Tri-County, made it 10-7.

The score stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh inning. After one out, Jake Sedahl got the rally going with a base hit. Then, Brenden Danielson was hit by a pitch, which was followed by a two-run double from Austin Delarosa, that trimmed the Cardinals lead to 10-9.

Gavin Mosbrucker continued the rally with a base hit, that put runners on the corners, with one out. Tony Antley hit a ball that could have turned into a double play, but instead, he was able to beat the throw, allowing Delarosa to score, tying the game at 10-10, with two outs.

The next batter was Brady Ophus, who blooped a double down the right-field line, putting he and Antley in scoring position. Tri-County intentionally walked Brendan Garden to load the bases, but the next batter up, Kelden Sullivan, knocked a line drive out of the infield to score the game-winning run.

"I told him (Kelden), they are trying to get to you," Fuzesy said. "Which was good for us, since he can hit, but they don't know that. So that worked us for us and he was able to come through with a hit."

Ethan Roberts was the winning pitcher on the night for Havre. He came on late in relief of Kennedy McKay, who pitched four scoreless innings to start, but allowed five runs in the top of the fifth.

Sullivan and Mosbrucker each had three hits in the win for the North Stars, while Ophus and Roberts each had two.

In the first game between the two teams, the North Stars grabbed control early like in the second game, but this time, they never relinquished control. Havre spotted Tri-County a run in the top of the first, but McKay put the North Stars in front in the bottom of the second with a two-run single.

In the bottom of the third, Roberts started things off with a double and scored on a triple by Sedahl. Trey Murphy, Antley and Calvin White all notched RBI singles before the inning was over and it was suddenly 6-1. In the fourth, Danielson got a hit, then eventually scored after a steal and some throwing errors, making it 7-1.

That's when the lightning came and the game was suspended for nearly an hour.

"That made me nervous," Fuzesy said. "Last year, we lost a game like that and I didn't know how we would handle it. We were loose and having fun, so I just thought I would see how it goes."

When the action resumed, the North Stars took care of business as Garden limited Tri-County to just one more run, as he earned the victory in the 8-2 win. Havre is now 8-7 overall on the season and 5-3 in the Northern A district.

Murphy led the way with three hits and an RBI, while McKay and White each had one hit and two RBI. Roberts and Sedahl each had a hit a piece in the win. Garden went six innings for the North Stars and struck out nine.

The North Stars will be in action later this week at a tournament in Williston, North Dakota.

Havre 8, Tri-County 2

Tri-County - 010 002 0 - 2 6 0

Havre 024 101 x - 8 14

WP: Brendan Garden

Havre batting - Kelden Sullivan 0-3, Ethan Roberts 2-4, Jake Sedahl 2-3, Brenden Danielson 0-2, Trey Murphy 3-4, Gavin Mosbrucker 2-4, Tony Antley 3-3, Calvin White 1-4, Kennedy McKay 1-4.

Havre 11, Tri-County 10

WP: Ethan Roberts

Tri-County 000 046 0 - 10 11 1

Havre - 004 120 4 - 11 15 3

Havre batting - Kelden Sullivan 3-5, Ethan Roberts 2-4, Jake Sedahl 1-3, Brenden Danielson 0-2, Trey Murphy 1-3, Austin Delarosa 1-1, Gavin Mosbrucker 3-3, Tony Antley 1-4, Brady Ophus 2-3, Brendan Garden 1-2.