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On a roll: North Stars clobber Stallions in Great Falls

Daniel Horton Havre Daily News [email protected]

The Havre North Stars American Legion baseball team has really found a groove in the midst of conference play. And after two Northern Division blowout victories over the Great Falls Stallions on Wednesday in Great Falls, the North Stars don't show any signs of letting up. In game one, the North Stars defeated the Stallions 18-1 in five innings, and in game two the North Stars defeated the Stallions 16-0 in five innings. “As a coaching staff we are very pleased with the last two double headers we have played,” North Stars head coach Steve Fanning said. “We are defi- nitely seeing a different team out there, a team that can compete with anyone in our district, and the kids know this as well.” Roman Surber took control from the mound for the North Stars, and didn't disappoint in the first game at Don Olson Field. He gave up only one run on four hits, while striking out four in a complete game appearance. And offensively the North Stars bats didn't disappoint either. In the first inning they got things rolling by scoring eight runs on nine hits, and on the game, the North Stars totaled a whopping 19 hits. "We came out of the gates just swinging the bats,” Fanning said. “These weren't cheap hits either, a lot of shots. This was the best I'd seen us hit all year. It's not like they made a lot of mistakes, we were just killing the ball. We also played pretty solid defense, which kept the Stallions from doing much of anything offensively. Brandon Smith was 3-of-3, while Justin Jensen and Paul Jensen both went 3-of-4 with a double. Shane Kemmer went 2-of-3 while Jon Currie was 2-of-4. Kyle Miller also went 2-of-3, but added a double and a triple to the mix. In game two of the afternoon, it was Miller who showed dominance from the mound for the North Stars. He threw the complete five-inning game, and allowed only two hits in the midst of his nine strikeouts. “This was the best I have seen Kyle throw all year,” Fanning said. “He kept his pitch count down and just got after it.” A big first inning propelled the North Stars through game two once again. After going up 6-0 in the first, their momentum eventually carried them to a 16-0 victory. “Again, we got the bats rolling early,” Fanning said, “and again playing pretty solid defense.” Justin Jensen, Tyler Olthoff and Paul Jensen each had two hits for Havre, and Surber checked in with two triples. And Smith had another good game, going 4-of-4 with a double. Smith also accounted for five RBIs on his perfect 7-of-7 road trip. Now sitting at 10-8 in the conference, the North Stars will have a week with no competition. They will host Fort MacLeod on Wednesday at Legion Field at 1 p.m. “Coming off of probably our best week of baseball of the season, we now have a week with no competition,” Fanning said. “Originally I thought this would be beneficial to the team, but now it's looking more like bad timing. I just hope we don't cool off too much. We're starting to come together, but we need to stay focused on what is working and what has led to our success.”

 

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