Havre softball ready to finish conference play this weekend

It feels like the season just started yesterday, but the Havre High softball team is already set to finish off its conference season with a slate of games this weekend. The Blue Ponies will first head on the road to play Lewistown Friday. They will then return home to play a doubleheader against Glendive and Sidney at Sixth Avenue Memorial Field Saturday.

The Ponies will be coming off a weekend where they competed in a tournament in Frenchtown. Against some top-level teams in the state, the Ponies went 2-2, so HHS head coach Tony Vigliotti hopes to keep up that level of play in their final conference games of the regular season.

"We've been playing well," Vigliotti said. "So with these last three conference games this weekend, we expect to play well."

Their two games at home Saturday will also serve as the Ponies' senior day. Keylee Kline and Alyssa Oliver make up the Ponies' senior class and they will be honored for their contributions to the Ponies.

"They've meant a lot to this program over the last four years," Vigliotti said.

The Ponies hope to keep things rolling in conference play as they are 5-0 in the Northeast A this spring. The Ponies have already defeated Lewistown, Glendive and Sidney this season by strong margins.

At home earlier this season, the Ponies defeated the defending Northeast A champion Lewistown 17-2. At a neutral venue in Lewistown, Havre held on to defeat Glendive 21-18. Later that same day, Havre defeated Sidney 21-2.

The Ponies have not gotten many opportunities to compete at home this season. Their lone game at Sixth Avenue Memorial Field was against Lewistown a month ago. They had games scheduled at home, but they were either moved or rescheduled because of inclement weather. With the chance to finally play in front of their friends and family again, the Ponies are excited to be back.

"It's always nice to play at home," Vigliotti said. "We get good support and we seem to play well at home."

If the Ponies want to remain undefeated in conference play, they will need their best players to play well. Molly Huse has had an excellent year at the plate with a .629 batting average, a .705 on-base percentage, 29 RBIs and five home runs.

Oliver has also had a strong year for the Ponies with a .605 batting average, 22 RBIs and 27 runs scored. Lizzi Haney has been playing well with a .513 batting average, .587 on-base percentage and 17 RBIs for the Ponies.

Avery Carlson has had a solid year both at the plate and on the mound. Batting for Havre, she has a .500 batting average, .633 on-base percentage and 11 RBIs. As the team's main pitcher, she has a 5-3 record with an ERA of 5.349.

If the Ponies can take care of business this weekend, they would earn the NO. 1 seed in the divisional tournament in Miles City in a few weeks. As they look to wrap things up, Vigliotti feels confident with how his team has progressed this spring.

"We've been pretty consistent with the bats all year. Last weekend in Frenchtown, we played much better defensively and did a lot of little things right," Vigliotti said. "So we just need to keep building on that and continue to do that."

The HHS softball team will play on the road at Lewistown Friday at 5 p.m. At Sixth Avenue Memorial Field, the Ponies will play Glendive Saturday at 2 p.m. and will then play Sidney at 4 p.m.