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Montana Country Boutique team wins A-League title

A-League fastpitch softball finished its season Thursday night with its championship game between the Montana Country Boutique team and the Valley Furniture team at Sixth Avenue Memorial Field. Even though they gave away a three-run lead late in the game, Montana Country Boutique bounced back late in the game to win the championship 8-3.

"It feels really good. The girls have worked really hard for this," said MCB head coach Tera Verploegen.

The MCB championship team consisted of Ainsley Courtnage, Tahlyn Olson, Daceen Verploegen, Paisley Brandon, Adi Olson, Emily Leeds, Brenna Hanson, Kali Schupert, Ella Davison, Molly Marshall, Ari Ost, JoJo Doney and London Brown. Hanson won MVP for her performance during the tournament.

"It was nice," Hanson said about being named MVP. "I just practice hard."

The Valley Furniture team consisted of Hailey Gingery, Rachel Jette, Jayla Meldrum, Alaura Moore, Allison Moore, Lyvia Little, Lilianna Smith, Martay Rosette, Paige Anderson, Alicia Haas-Berger, Bree Hanson, Aspyn VanCampen and Harmony Bell. Despite a loss in the championship game to end the season, head coach Phil Gingery believes his team played their best ball late in the season.

"It started out kind of rough and the girls really started doing well towards the end which is what you want to do," Gingerly said. "Pretty proud of them. They did a good job."

MCB took a quick lead in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single from Olson that got a runner home for the 1-0 lead. They then extended their lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the second when a runner scored on a wild pitch. A bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the third pushed their lead to 3-0.

Valley Furniture came back in the top of the fourth to tie the game. With a pair of runners on base, Jette hit a triple to right field to clear the bases and cut their lead to one run. She then scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.

After giving up the lead, MCB quickly responded in the bottom of the fourth. They started the inning by getting the bases loaded with no outs. Over the next few at-bats, four wild pitches allowed four runners to score and take a 7-3 lead. An RBI single then pushed their lead to 8-3. They then got three quick outs in the top of the fifth to clinch the championship.

"These girls are great. They always keep a positive attitude," Verploegen said about how they retook the lead. "They're always fun to have in the dugout so I think that's what kept them going."

Thursday's game finished off a season for the Montana Country Boutique team that was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic and inclement weather, so taking home a championship at the end of it made it worth it.

"It was pretty short with COVID and then the rains and everything else," Verploegen said. "They pulled it off. They practiced hard. They did a good job."

 

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