North Stars stay hot

To say things are finally going in the right direction for the Havre North Stars American Legion baseball club would be an understatement.

Just last Wednesday, the North Stars were mired in a nine-game losing streak, and less than a week later, they've reeled off eight straight wins.

The most recent of those wins came on Tuesday afternoon in Conrad when the North Stars drubbed the Tri-County Cardinals in a Northern A twin bill for the second time in four days. The North Stars also swept the Cardinals last Saturday in Havre.

And while Havre's pitching continues to be consistent, it's the North Stars bats which have heated up as much as the weather outside.

On Tuesday in Conrad, Havre thrashed Tri-County pitching to the tune of 22 runs in two games. The North Stars beat the Cardinals 15-5 in game one Tuesday and bested them 7-1 in the nightcap.

In the opener in Conrad, Havre rode a strong pitching performance from Justin Jensen on the mound. He picked up the complete-game win while also helping himself with a two-RBI triple. But the big blows came from Garreth Bernard and Thurman Holdsclaw. Bernard belted his second home run in the last three games, while Holdsclaw had a four-hit outing. Bernard also homered last Sunday in Havre against the Vauxhall Spurs.

And the North Stars' offense continued to shine in game two against Tri-County.

In the nightcap, Brandon Smith held the Cardinals to just one run in a complete-game win, while Holdsclaw collected three more hits to lead the Havre offense.

With the sweep of Tri-County, Havre has worked its way right back into the Northern A race. With eight straight conference wins, and only four conference games left, which are all at home, Havre is nearing the .500 mark at 11-13 in league play. The North Stars are also lurking towards the .500 mark at 15-19 overall.

Havre will return to the road this weekend with five nonconference games in three days at a tournament in Glendive. The North Stars wrap up the regular season on July 16 at home against Lethbridge and July 17 at home against Medicine Hat.