Havre Daily News - News you can use

After playing in its first home games of the season last weekend, the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball club will once again play at Legion Field this Saturday. The Northstars will host the Great Falls Chargers for a conference doubleheader as they look to continue to improve early in the year.

"We'd really like to start the conference season with a couple of wins but this early in the season, we're still just trying to grow as a team and try and get better," Havre head coach Patch Wirtzberger said. "If we can focus on getting better at the little things, I think the scoreboard and the wins will take care of itself this weekend."

As a conference foe, the Chargers are a familiar opponent for the Northstars. Last summer, the Northstars got the better of Great Falls with a 5-0 record against the Chargers A team. But this summer, the Chargers should have much more experience.

"They got a lot of kids coming back from last year's team because they were very young last year," Wirtzberger said. "They've played a lot of games so far this year and I know they're going to be ready to go. They're very well coached and it should be a good challenge for us."

The Northstars head into their conference opener with a 4-4 record this season. In their home stand this past weekend, the Northstars went 3-1. If they want to improve to above .500 this weekend, the Northstars' best players will need to step up.

At the plate, Tanner Delarosa leads the Northstars with a .500 batting average. He also has three RBIs and four runs scored this season. Logan Kinsella has also played well with a .429 batting average and two RBIs this season. Brody Nanini is off to a hot start with a team-high six RBIs and one home run early this season.

Many pitchers have gotten time on the mound early this season. Lane Kinsella has pitched the most innings, where he has a 3.182 ERA, six strikeouts recorded and six walks given. Kale Reno has also gotten time as he has a 3.621 ERA, ten strikeouts recorded and eight walks given this season.

It is still early in the season, so the Northstars are still figuring things out as a team. Last weekend, Wirtzberger believed the Northstars played inconsistently despite going 3-1. As they head into this weekend's games, Wirtzberger hopes to see the Northstars play more steady.

"I think the key will be our hitting. If we can stay consistent at the plate, we'll have no problem getting a couple of wins," Wirtzberger said. "If we sputter or struggle a little bit here and there, we could be in for a couple close games."

The Havre Northstars will begin their doubleheader against the Great Falls Chargers at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Legion Field.