Northstars finish 2-2 at Wood Bat tourney

All things considered, it was a successful weekend for the Havre Northstars.

With about seven players missing because of either graduation or other spring sports, a modified Northstars squad featuring about eight players off the Havre Comets finished 2-2 at a very tough Wood Bat tournament in Whitefish.

The Northstars got off on the right track on Saturday morning, opening the tournament with a 3-2 win over the Bitterroot Bucs in 10 innings.

Austin Small reached on error in the bottom of the 10th inning and later scored to break up a 2-2 tie to pick up the win.

Ian Spencer put on a gutty performance on the mound, pitching all 10 innings to get the win. Spencer faced 39 batters and allowed just five hits, while striking out 14 batters and walking just three. Only one of Bitterroot's two runs were earned.

Havre trailed 1-0 early on, before tying the game in the fourth on back-to-back doubles from Patch Wirtzberger and Ricky Hoium. The Northstars took the lead an inning later as Tyson Anderson led off the inning with a single and later scored on a Bitterroot error.

Things didn't go quite as well Saturday night as the Northstars fell to the host Glacier Twins, 4-1.

The AA squad capitalized on three Havre errors to score four runs and pick up the win.

The fielding errors dulled a solid pitching performance from Cory Junck, who didn't allow an earned run and gave up just six hits in six innings of work. Junck struck out six batters and walked three in the loss.

Junck also led the Northstars offensive attack with a 3-3 performance at the plate, while driving the in the Northstars' only run with a double in the second inning.

On Sunday, Havre continued to struggle against AA competition, this time falling to the Kalispell Lakers 9-2. The Lakers banged out 10 hits off of Ben Erickson and Tyson Anderson to pick up the win.

Havre's two runs were driven in by Wirtzberger and Jeff Tibbals.

Tibbals led the Havre offense with a pair of hits while Hoium, Spencer and Mike Olson each added hits in the game. Erickson took the loss on the mound allowing five runs on six hits.

The Northstars ended the tournament on a relatively positive note with a come-from-behind, 5-4 win over Salmon, ID in eight innings.

Spencer led off the bottom of the eight with a hit by pitch and the advanced to third on a Salmon throwing error on Tyson Anderson's sacrifice bunt. Tibbals proceeded to drive the winning run in with a single up the middle to end the game.

Austin Small went the distance to pick up the win. Small gave up four runs - one earned - on five hits, while striking out eight and walking two.

Besides Tibbals, Wirtzberger, Hoium and Erickson all recorded hits for Havre.

The Northstars return to action tonight against the Havre Comets. The game was scheduled to be a nine-inning game. However, it has been changed to two seven-innings game to make up for a canceled game earlier in the season. The first game is set to begin at 6 p.m.

Havre 3, Bitterroot 2

Bitterroot Bucs 001 001 000 0 - 2 5 4

Havre Northstars 000 110 000 1 - 3 6 2

Ian Spencer (WP) and Ricky Houim.

BUCS HITTING - not available

NORTHSTARS HITTING - Patch Wirtzberger 1-5, Jeff Tibbals 1-4, Ricky Houim 1-4 (RBI), Ian Spencer 1-4, Tyson Anderson 1-4, Cory Junck 1-3, Ben Erickson 0-2, Eric Fanning 0-3, Mike Olson 0-1, Austin Small 0-4.

2B - Wirtzberger, Houim

3B - none

HR - none

Glacier 4, Havre 1

Havre Northstars 010 000 0 - 1 6 1

Glacier Twins 201 010 X - 4 6 1

Cory Junck (LP) and Ricky Houim.

NORTHSTARS HITTING - Patch Wirtzberger 1-3, Jeff Tibbals 1-3, Ricky Houim 0-3, Ian Spencer 1-2 (RBI), Tyson Anderson 0-2, Cory Junck 3-3 (RBI), Ben Erickson 0-3, Austin Small 0-3, Eric Fanning 0-2, Josh Lowe 0-1.

TWINS HITTING - not available

2B - Junck

3B - none

HR - none

Kalispell 9, Havre 2

Havre Northstars 002 000 0 - 2 5 2

Kalispell Lakers 012 204 X - 9 10 2

Ben Erickson (LP), Tyson Anderson (2) and Patch Wirtzberger.

NORTHSTARS HITTING - Patch Wirtzberger 0-3, Jeff Tibbals 2-3 (RBI), Ricky Hoium 1-3, Ian Spencer 1-2, Tyson Anderson 0-2, Cory Junck 0-3, Mike Olson 1-2, Josh Lowe 0-1, Austin Small 0-3, Bill Siebrasse 0-1, Eric Fanning 0-2.

LAKERS HITTING - Not available

2B - none

3B - none

HR - none

Havre 5, Salmon, ID 4

Salmon Idaho 000 004 00 - 4 5 5

Havre Northstars 200 000 21 - 5 4 2

Austin Small (WP) and Patch Wirtzberger.

SALMON HITTING - not available

NORTHSTARS HITTING - Patch Wirtzberger 1-4, Cory Junck 0-3, Ricky Houim 1-4, Ian Spencer 0-2, Ben Erickson 1-2, Tyson Anderson 0-2, Eric Fanning 0-1, Jeff Tibbals 1-2 (RBI), Mike Olson 0-3, Josh Lowe 0-2, Bill Siebrasse 0-2.

2B - none

3B - none

HR - none