Ponies brace for key Central A games

Conference play is in full swing for the Havre High softball team, and this weekend could be a big one for the Blue Ponies.

The Central A Ponies are sitting at 1-2 in the conference, but will get ample opportunity to either gain an edge, or fall behind in the conference race.

Havre High's Harlee Boucher takes a cut during a Central A girls fastpitch softball game last Saturday in Havre. The Blue Ponies are home for two games against the Browning Indians, before taking to the road to face the Livingston Rangers on Saturday. The games are key to the Central A race.

Today, the Ponies will host a doubleheader with the Browning Indians at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field in Havre with the first game is at 3 p.m., and the nightcap to follow 30 minutes after. And on Saturday, the Ponies will take to the road to face another conference opponent in the Livingston Rangers. The Rangers are as strong as they come in the Central A this season, and will present the Ponies with a difficult matchup in Livingston.

Browning is coming off of two tough losses to Lewistown, but will show up to challenge the Ponies.

Kim Higgins is the starting pitcher for the Indians, and has shown she will give up hits and runs if a team takes advantage. The Ponies have been hitting very well as of late, so they should use the two games to break their offense wide open. Davee McLeod, Roxanna Jensen, and Harlee Boucher have been hitting the ball very well, and could have a big Friday if they continue to hit the ball well.

Rachel Majeres and McLeod should also have good outings in the circle.

Both have pitched well at times this season, as well as received great backup from the defense. If both pitchers want to earn conference wins, they need to have their accuracy and velocity in check, as well as continue to get big defensive plays by players like Dani Wagner (center field), Jensen (short stop), and Morgan Mazurkiewicz (third base).

Higgins and Marti Eaglefeathers should be the toughest outs the Indians bring to the plate, but overall, the Ponies should come away with two very impressive home wins.

Saturday's matchup against the Rangers will be a much tougher task.

Earlier this week the Rangers took down a perennial state powerhouse in the Laurel Locomotives in a 3-2 ballgame in Livingston. The Rangers allowed just four hits, while earning six hits of their own in the win.

If the Ponies face pitcher Haley Dowdell, she will make the HHS batters take full advantage of every at bat on Saturday. Dowdell doesn't like to give up hits, and neither does the stingy defense behind her, a defense that didn't commit one error in the win over the Locomotives.

The Rangers have a whole slew of girls capable of grabbing a base hit, but also have the likes of Meadow Ingram, capable to hurt a defense with an extra base hit and a multi hit game. Jacey Schleicher, Katie Lynn Kraus, Cassidy Versland and Sierra Higgs also add to the deep and talented lineup.

If the Ponies can enter Saturday with two more conference wins under their belts, the momentum could carry over into Saturday. But it will take nearly a mistake free outing to get a win over the Rangers, momentum or not.

Today the Ponies face Browning at home in a doubleheader, with the first game starting at 3 p.m. Saturday the Ponies will face Livingston on the road.