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Blue Ponies blank Browning in five

It took just five innings for the Havre High softball program to take care of business on Tuesday, proving the Central A Blue Ponies are still hungry for a post season birth.

In a make up game, the Ponies hosted the conference rival Browning Indians for one game at the Sixth Avenue Memorial field on Tuesday. The Ponies and Indians previous scheduled meeting was canceled due to poor weather over the weekend. But making sure not to miss any opportunity to play, the Ponies were quick to reschedule, and happily walked away with 21-0 conference win in five inning. The win gives the Ponies an overall record of 3-6 and a conference record of 3-3.

"We really needed to build on our last game with Livingston," Havre High head coach Mike Thill said. "We finished that game strong. And for us, it was really important to come out strong in the first couple of innings, really against anybody we played, so that we could be aggressive on the bases, get the bats going and score some runs."

And that is exactly what the Ponies did, as they jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first. From there, the Ponies pushed the gap even further, leading 19-0 after the second inning, and 20-0 after the third. HHS scored one more run in the bottom of the fourth for the 21 run outing.

The big first inning got started by a Michaela Boles base hit. Boles earned the single, then reached second on an Indian error. She then stole third base, then crossed home plate on a wild pitch, showing just how aggressive the Ponies planned to be. Also in the first inning, Harlee Boucher had an RBI on two singles and Rachel Majers had a two RBI single. Davee McLeod recorded a single here second at bat in the inning, and Mary Lyons hit a two RBI double on the ensuing at bat. Morgan Mazurkiewicz also had a single in the inning, as well as a walk. Paige Henderson had two walks, while Lyons, McLeod, Clarissa Martin and Masha Barnekoff also received a base on balls, as the Ponies posted 12 runs on seven hits and three Browning errors.

And the Ponies didn't let up, as they continued to roll offensively.

In the second inning the Ponies added seven more runs on three more hits and seven total walks. Mazurkiewicz was also put on board after being hit by a pitch. In the third inning the Ponies added one run on one walk, one error and one wild pitch, and in the fourth inning HHS utilized two more hits.

Overall, the Blue Ponies racked up the 21 runs on 11 hits and four Browning errors. The Ponies also got walked 15 times. Majers led the way going 2-of-2 with four RBIs, while Boucher was also impressive, going 3-of-4 with two RBIs. Boles went 2-of-5 with an RBI and McLeod was 1-of-4 with one RBI. Lyons was also 1-of-4 with two RBIs on a double, while Mazurkiewicz was 2-of-4 with two RBIs.

Majers also earned the starting pitching nod, and pitched three and one-third innings. In her time in the circle, Majers faced 12 batters, and gave up no runs on no hits. She also struck out seven, walked one and hit one batter. McLeod took over in the fourth and retired the next five straight batters.

"My freshman (Majers) pitched a great game for us," Thill said. "And she is still improving every time she gets to start. She is coming in three times a week at 6 a.m., and that is making a big difference. I can see her confidence building as she gets better and better."

The Ponies are in the midst of a crucial and tough stretch, as they travel to Lewistown for one game on Thursday before returning home for the Havre Invite on Saturday. On Saturday the Ponies will face Lewistown and Glasgow.

Blue Ponies 21, Indians 0

Havre 12 71 1xx x – 21 11 0

Browning 000 00x x – 0 0 5

WP – Rachel Majers; LP – Ashton Smith

Havre — Michaela Boles 2-5 RBI, Davee McLeod 1-4 RBI, Mary Lyons 1-4 2RBI, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 2-4 2RBI, Paige Henderson 0-5 RBI, Rachel Majers 2-2 4RBI, Harlee Boucher 3-4 2RBI, Liz Facio 0-1, Sydne Huston 0-1, Clarissa Martin 0-3, Masha Barnekoff 0-3.

Browning — Ashton Smith 0-2, Tyanna Bostwick 0-2, Whitney Bremmer 0-2, Kim Higgins 0-2, Treyanna Belcourt 0-2, Shelsey St. Goddard 0-1, Brittney Wolftail 0-1.

Havre High's Rachel Majers lets go of a pitch during Tuesday's girls fastpitch softball game against Browning at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field.

 

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