Belgrade bests Havre 14U state title

It was a busy weekend of local baseball as the Havre Northstars American Legion Baseball team wasn't the only team in town, as Havre also played host the 14U State Tournament.

The tournament featured three games and was held at Legion Field beginning with pool play Friday. The Havre 14U All-Stars which represented Havre in the tournament, dominated Friday, winning their first game 14-2 over Belgrade and then knocking off Glacier 24-1 to clinch a spot in the championship game.

Glacier and Belgrade met Saturday morning in the semifinals and Belgrade emerged victorious and then was able to knock off the host team, 13-7, in order to claim the 14U state title.

In the first game of the tournament, Havre, which was coached by Jake Eldridge, found itself tied 2-2 with Belgrade before scoring seven runs in the fourth inning and five more in the fifth to wind up with 14 runs on 10 hits. Drake Berreth and Kale VanCampen led the way for Havre in the win with two hits each. Kale Reno, Jayce Jensen, Trigg Mapes, Brody Nanini, Lane Kinsella and Terek Shipp also added a hit in the win. Nanini also pitched in with a game-high three RBIs. Nanini, Shipp and Reno all combined to limit Belgrade to just two runs on five hits.

After defeating Belgrade Friday, the Northstars played in the nightcap Friday night and demolished Glacier after scoring 22 runs in the first two innings, including 17 in the second. Havre finished with 24 runs and took advantage of 13 errors in the 24-1 triumph. Berreth got two hits as did Nanini and Shipp. Nanini also added three RBIs. Shipp and VanCampen each had two, while Jensen added four in addition two a pair of walks.

In the championship game Saturday, Havre fell behind early thanks to eight runs in the first and second innings from Belgrade, which also scored two runs in the fourth and fifth innings to eventually build a 12-0 lead. The 14U All-Stars from Havre did respond by rallying to score seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, however, it wasn't enough and they fell 13-7.

Shipp, Nanini, Connor McKay and Reno all managed hits, while Reno and Berreth both had two RBIs in the loss. Lane Kinsella, Shipp and VanCampen also managed RBIs in the defeat. Randy Tommerup and Landon Keeling also contributed to the team's 2-1 overall record. Belgrade, the state champion, earned the right to represent Montana in the regional tournament.