EAGLES GROUNDED

It's amazing what can change in a few days time. Last Thursday, Lauren Kato and the Havre Blue Ponies allowed 20 runs in a loss to Lewistown.

Four days later, facing the same team inside the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field Monday night, Kato and the Ponies not only beat the Eagles, but they also shut them out, winning 3-0 for their first Central A conference win of the season.

"It feels great," Kato said. "All of us definitely pitched in for that win. It was a total team effort and we all played our best that game."

Not only did the Eagles score 20 runs last week in a 20-10 win over Havre, but they also racked up 22 hits. Yet, on Monday night, in seven innings of work on the mound, Kato allowed just four base runners, giving up just three hits and walking only one batter. She also struck out four on her way to a complete-game shutout.

"Everything was working for her tonight, especially her change-up," HHS head coach Tony Vigliotti said. "Her rise ball was working for her and she was able to hit her locations. She really was able to make her pitches work for her. She kept their hitters off balance and that's what it's all about."

While Kato had things going on the mound, her counterpart, Jessica Morgan, also came out of the gates throwing well and held the Ponies hitless in the first three innings. For the game, she allowed just two hits and had nine strikeouts. But she walked one and had some wild pitches late that proved costly.

The first wild pitch that led to a run came in the bottom of the fourth inning. Syndey Wilting, who crushed a home run against Lewistown in the divisional tournament last May, had another clutch at-bat and got Havre's first hit in the fourth. The Eagles chose to intentionally walk Kinzee Peterson, who had hit seven homers in her last six games, advancing Wilting to second. From there, a couple of passed balls scored the sophomore and it was 1-0.

Peterson has been on a tear at the plate lately, however, even though she didn't impact the game with her bat Monday night, she was part of two key defensive plays.

The first came in the top of the third when Sammy Lovenguth threw out a runner at home from first, with the help of a Peterson tag. Then, in the top of the sixth, with the Ponies clinging to a 1-0 lead and with Macy Mangold on first base after a single, the Eagles best player tried to steal and reach scoring position, yet Peterson put the throw on the money for a crucial out.

"Last Thursday, we didn't make any plays," Vigliotti said. "Tonight, we made every play. That's the team that can show up most of the time. You are going to have some errors sometimes, but if we can play defense like that we can play with anybody."

Nursing a one-run lead, the Ponies looked to add some insurance in the bottom half of the sixth. Janae Boles reached on an error by Morgan and eventually scored on an RBI single by Sam Oliver, which was just the second hit of the game for Havre. Oliver also scored after a pair of passed balls, extending the lead to three with one inning left.

"We ran the bases better and we put the ball in play," Vigliotti said. "They did that tonight, too, we just happened to make every play. We just want to put the ball in play and I don't care if we get any hits as long we round the bases and get to the triangle or whatever it is at home."

Havre got home safely three times and after another one-two-three inning in the top of the seventh, one capped with a running catch by Boles to record the final out, the Ponies held Lewistown without a run on their way to their third win of the season.

"It feels really good," Kato said of seeing no runs on the scoreboard after the game. "We just knew that we had to come out and play better than we did down there."

In addition to Kato's performance on the mound, Wilting and Oliver also had exceptional outings. Wilting notched a hit and a run in the win, in addition to saving an extra-base hit with a catch at the warning track in the second. Oliver who also finished with a hit and the only RBI of the game was stellar at short. Boles also managed a run in the victory.

Havre (3-7, 1-3) will head to Glasgow tonight for a non-conference matchup against the Scotties.

"We didn't want to go 0-4 in the conference," Vigliotti said. "This was a big win. I am proud of them. Now I am hoping we can get a little momentum and put some wins together."

Havre 3, Lewistown 0

Lewistown 000 000 0 - 0 3 1

Havre 000 102 x 3 2 1

WP - Lauren Kato

LP - Jessica Morgan

Havre - Janae Boles 0-3, Sydney Wilting 1-2, Sam Oliver 1-3, Kinzee Peterson 0-2, Lauren Kato 0-3, Sam Lovenguth 0-3, Jera Verploegen 0-2, Katelyn Maloughey 0-1, Mia Olson 0-1, Peyton Brown 0-2.

Lewistown - Kacee Gordon 0-2, Jessica Morgan 0-3, Macy Mangold 1-3, Bailey Castillo 0-3, Shelby Long 1-3, Libby Jenness 0-2, Hailey Welsh 0-2, Chelsea Jensen 0-2, Jacy Ayers 1-2.