Comets fall twice to Fort MacLeod

The Havre Comets entered Saturday night's game against the Fort MacLeod Royals with a short winning streak after splitting a pair with the Tri-County team on Tuesday and sweeping the Great Falls Stallions on Thursday.

While the Comets hoped to keep the streak intact, the Royals hoped to see it end. With a 7-5 win in the first game and an 8-1 win in the second, the Royals snapped the Comets' streak on a cloudy night at Legion Field.

The Comets all but had the first game won heading into the seventh inning when pitcher Alex Chenoweth, who had been battling a cold all week, gave up five runs to put Fort MacLeod ahead 7-3.

Left fielder Matt Schmid blasted a bases loaded triple to start the scoring. He scored one batter later as Shane Trombrigde doubled. Trombridge scored the final run of the inning as Ben Paskal walked with the bases loaded.

The Comets came back to score two runs in the bottom of the inning but it wasn't enough to complete the comeback effort. Catcher Levi Briese drove home Trent Normandy with a single in the seventh. Ben Mader followed and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive home Chazz Hurlburt.

Havre's other runs came in the first inning when Briese drove home Chris Chandler and Hurlburt with a single. Tony Ricci scored in the inning on a wild pitch.

Fort MacLeod ended Chenoweth's shutout in the fourth inning, scoring two runs on one hit and three Comet errors. Both runs were unearned.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Fort MacLeod took control of the game in the third inning and never let go, winning 8-1.

Fort MacLeod scored three runs in the third inning, one in the fifth and two in each of the sixth and seventh.

The Comets' lone run came in the third inning as Chandler drove home Patch Wirtzberger with a single. Wirtzberger, Garrett Drake and Chandler combined for back-to-back-to-back singles to set up the scoring.

Bret Magelssen pitched six innings and gave up 11 hits in the loss.

The Comets' next games are Friday through Sunday at the Lewistown tournament.