Two Ponies to play in All-Star softball game

High school football in Montana has its big game every year when the top football players across the state play in the East-West Shrine Game. Girls softball, on the other hand, hasn’t had anything like that, until now.

Starting Saturday, the best that Montana has to offer in terms of girls high school softball will converge on Belgrade for the First Annual Nicholas Bloem Memorial Softball Classic.

The two-day tournament will feature four teams that are made up of All-State and All-Conference players from Class AA, A, B and C.

After a groundbreaking year in softball for Havre High School, the Blue Ponies will be well represented at the tournament, as Paige Henderson and Dani Wagner will both be participating for the North team.

Henderson, who will be a senior this season, earned All-State honors last year at shortstop and helped the Ponies reach their first state tournament in five years.

Once the Ponies got to the state tournament, Wagner, an All-Conference center fielder, helped Havre get its first-ever win at state with a clutch three-run homer in the sixth inning of a 7-5 victory over Miles City.

Rachel Majeres, who was an All-State pitcher as a junior last season also received an invitation but will be unable to play due to injury.

The tournament begins Saturday at 10 a.m at Belgrade Softball Complex. when the East team squares off against the West, followed by Henderson, Wagner and North squad facing the South team at noon. The winners will meet in the championship game Sunday.