Home Field: Ponies edge Scotties

In the home debut for the Havre High softball team, the Blue Ponies got everything they could have asked for out of an early season, non-conference game.

Monday afternoon, the Central A Ponies hosted the Class B Glasgow Scotties at the Sixth Avenue Memorial field in Havre. The Ponies dropped all four games last weekend at the Great Falls Jamboree, but now hold a 1-0 record to start their season after home win Monday.

Havre High's Sydne Huston lays down a bunt during a girls fastpitch softball game against Glasgow Monday at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field. The Ponies beat the Scotties 6-5 in extra innings.

The purpose of non-conference games are to get better before the conference portion of the schedule. And in a game that went nine innings, the Ponies got plenty of extra work as they defeated the Scotties 6-5.

"There were a lot of things packed into that game that you can't usually get out of just one game," Havre High head coach Danny Wirtzberger said. "We had a tie game, we went into extra innings, used multiple pitchers, and just got to see a lot of different situations. And we did good in all of those situations, I was extremely pleased."

After taking an early 3-0 lead, then holding a 5-2 lead over the Scotties, the Ponies found themselves in a 5-5 battle late in the ballgame.

It was the top of the fourth when the Scotties knotted things up, as they went on to score three runs on five hits and one Blue Pony error. But from there, both teams settled in behind strong pitching and great defensive performances to produce nearly five scoreless innings of play.

Glasgow nearly took the game away from the Ponies in the top of the seventh. The Scotties had the bases loaded with one out, but couldn't produce a run or the win. HHS pitcher Davee McLeod struck out a batter to end the inning, ending the threat, and ending her day in the circle. Rachel Majeres took over the Pitching duties and did another standout out job as the Ponies regained the lead and captured the win. Majeres rolled through three batters in the eighth, and just four more in the top of ninth, giving the Ponies the opportunity to earn a run in the bottom of the ninth. Dani Wagner got on base with a walk, and Morgan Mazurkiewicz laid down a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt. With Wagner now on second base, McLeod was the hero with her RBI single to end the game in extra innings.

Blue Pony Morgan Mazurkiewicz makes contact during Monday's softball game against the Glasgow Scotties in Havre.

McLeod wound up pitching seven complete innings, while Majeres pitched two complete innings. Majeres earned the win. But in McLeod's seven innings of work, she gave up five runs, while also walking just one Glasgow batter. She also struck out eight. Majeres didn't give up any runs, and had three strikeouts, while also walking just one batter.

"If this was a conference game," Wirtzberger said. "Then Davee stays in the game. But it wasn't, and we are trying to work on things still, and Rachel went in there and performed very well. Rachel showed me she is a varsity pitcher and she can compete."

Defensively, the Ponies had a solid game all around. In the nine innings they totaled just five errors. They also allowed runs in just two innings, two in the second and three in the fourth.

But the offense also showed signs of promise, as they continue to make contact, but still need to place the ball in the holes of the opposing defense. Paige Henderson was 1-for-3 and earned two RBIs on a single in the first inning, and Roxanna Jensen was 3-for-4 earning one RBI on a single of her own in the first. And in the second, Morgan Mazurkiewicz grabbed an RBI on a base hit, while finishing the afternoon 1-for-4. McLeod drove in another run on another Pony single in the second, and finished the day 2-for-5.

Wagner was also 2-for-2 with two walks, and Harlee Boucher was 0-for-4. Liz Facio finished 1-for-3, and Majeres finished 0-for-3. Tori Mazurkiewicz and Sydne Huston also each finished 0-for-2.

"It is all situational," Wirtzberger said. "In the last inning I told the girls that the Glasgow pitcher does have a tendency to walk batters, so to be patient. And Wagner went up there and started the ninth with walk, but the inning before, we gave them a three-pitch inning. It is good to see some pitches. Every at-bat has its own approach, and you have to go up with a plan, and that is what we have to work on now."

The Ponies are still working on getting better, and have already shown a lot of improvement from their first weekend out. But they have a short turnaround, as they now must prepare for Conrad at home on Thursday, then a road trip to Belgrade for a tournament on Saturday. On Thursday, the varsity game will begin at 4 p.m.

Blue Ponies 6, Scotties 5

Glasgow 020 300 000 – 5 15 x

Havre 320 000 001 – 6 10 5

WP – Rachel Majeres; LP – Shyla Bergtoll

Glasgow – Sadie Sukut 2-5, Sage Sukut 1-4, Stein 2-5, Shyla Bergtoll 2-4, Paige 3-5, Rass 1-5, Dalby 2-4, Wolstad 1-4, Mehling 1-3.

Havre – Paige Henderson 1-3 2RBI, Roxanna Jensen 3-4 RBI, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 1-4 RBI, Davee McLeod 2-5 RBI, Dani Wagner 2-2, Harlee Boucher 0-4, Liz Facio 1-3, Rachel Majeres 0-3, Tori Mazurkiewicz 0-2, Sydne Huston 0-2.