Huge Central A games awaiting Blue Ponies

Last weekend, in a win over the Livingston Rangers, the Havre High softball program gave fans a preview of what they are capable of when firing on all cylinders. And with three more winnable games schedule for this weekend, the Blue Ponies are excited to retake the field and see if they can continue to improve.

The last time out for the Central A Ponies, HHS defeated the conference rival Rangers 12-7. In the game the Ponies pitching and defense played well, but the bats were hotter than they have been all season long.

It was big game for the Ponies, and this weekend presents the Ponies with three more winnable games, especially if they pick up right where they left off. Today the Ponies (2-6, 2-3) will host the Browning Indians at 4 p.m. at th

Havre's Harlee Boucher takes a swing during last Saturday's softball doubleheader against Livingston in Havre. The Ponies are back at home today to face the Browning Indians.

e Sixth Avenue Memorial Field in Havre, and on Saturday the Ponies will face the Lewistown Golden Eagles in Lewistown for a doubleheader.

"The girls are excited," Havre High head coach Mike Thill said. "And hopefully they can just pick up where the left off at the end of the Livingston series and just go from there. If we can hit the ball, and go after the first pitch instead of just watching it go by, and continue with our good at bats, we will do ok. We know we are certainly capable of swinging the bat and capable of more than just bunting or getting a single, so if we can just realize that, and keep building our confidence then we should be fine."

The first time around, the Ponies defeated the Indians 17-3 in Browning. And if the trend continues, the Ponies should find another dominating win over the conference rival.

But HHS isn't just focused on a dominating game and running up the score. Instead, the Ponies know this is the perfect game to work on consistently playing at a high level. Havre High will look to keep their bats hot and their defense stout, as a win today could propel the Ponies into a very successful Saturday.

Liz Facio and Lauren Britt have showed a lot of promise this season on the junior varsity squad and have even earned some time on the varsity field. The matchup against the Indians will be the perfect opportunity to get both some extra time on the field.

"Some of our players have had some things that they have been having some trouble with," Thill said. "And I think this game will be good to work on those things. And we will also use this game to build some more playing time for some of our young players, so that we can go into Saturday with more experience with our pinch runners and pinch hitters."

Playing the Eagles in Lewistown will equal a tough afternoon for HHS.

Two games against a conference opponent are never easy, but playing them on their home field makes things even tougher. And while the Eagles have shown the ability to be beaten, they have also recorded some solid wins. The Eagles earned a dominating win over Columbus this season, but have fallen pretty hard against teams like Hardin.

Nadja Robertson, Allie Adams, Teal Danell and Maddie Comes are just a few of the Eagles' top offensive producers, and Adams and Comes have already shown homerun capablitly. Rachel Majers and Davee McLeod will have to have a good outing from the pitchers circle, and the defense will have to back them up with limited errors. Michaela Boles led the defense last weekend form center field, but it is going to take a total team effort. Morgan Mazurkiewicz at third and Harlee Boucher at first base have also played well as of late.

It will be tough, but the Ponies aren't putting any extra pressure on themselves. The post season is still alive, but the Ponies are taking things slow and not looking further than the game at hand.

"We will be playing them in Lewistown on their field, so that will be an advantage for them," Thill said. "But we know they are team that can hit the ball and score runs. And we aren't really thinking about it (post season). We don't worry about anything too far ahead. We focus on the game we are playing and take it one inning at a time, and one at bat at a time if we are up to bat, and the pitchers take it one pitch at a time. We just need to play like we are capable and compete in every game."

Today the Ponies (2-6, 2-3) and Indians will play at the Sixth Avenue Memorial field at 4 p.m., and on Saturday the Ponies will face the Eagles in a doubleheader in Lewistown.