Northstars win Glendive Legion Tournament

Over the weekend at the Glendive Legion Tournament, the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball club had another stellar weekend late in the season. On Sunday afternoon, the Northstars capped off the weekend by winning, 11-8, against the Glendive Blue Devils in the championship game.

It was not easy for the Northstars as the Devils scored two runs in the top of the first inning and then another pair in the top of the second to take a 4-0 lead. But the Northstars got on a roll in the bottom of the second.

After two singles to open the inning, Colter Solomon cleared the bases with a single to center field. Later in the inning with two runners on base, Brody Nanini hit a home run to left to give Havre a 5-4 lead.

The Devils responded with a couple runs in the top of the fourth to take a 7-5 lead. Again, the Northstars responded in the bottom of fourth to retake the lead. With two runners on, Nanini did it again with a home run to center to give Havre a 9-7 lead. Later in the inning, Conner McKay scored on a fielder's choice to push the lead to 10-7.

In the bottom of the sixth, an RBI single from Nanini extended the lead to 11-7. Glendive scored a run in the top of the seventh, but the Northstars recorded the final out to secure the tournament championship.

On the mound, Kale Reno earned the win as he allowed four hits, five earned runs and three walks in 3.0 innings pitched. Nanini had an excellent game at the plate where he went 3-3 with eight RBIs and two home runs.

The Northstars qualified for the championship game by going 3-0 over the first two days of the tournament. The Northstars started the tournament Friday with a close win against the Glendive Blue Devils. It was a tough start to the weekend, but the Northstars survived for the 12-10 victory.

Glendive struck first in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. But the Northstars responded in the top of the second. With the bases loaded, McKay scored on a passed ball to tie the game. Ezra Pyle then scored himself to give Havre the 2-1 lead.

Glendive got hot in the bottom of the second and took advantage of several Havre mistakes to take a 5-2 lead. In the top of the third, Nanini hit an RBI single to left field to cut Havre's deficit to 5-3.

The Northstars continued to fight in the top of the fourth. Early in the inning, Tanner Delarosa scored on a passed ball. Solomon then hit a single to right to drive in a run to tie the game. But the Devils got the bats going in the bottom of the fifth to take control. By the end of the inning, the Devils had taken a 10-5 lead over the Northstars.

But the Northstars did not give up as they responded in force in the top of the sixth. With two runners on base, Drake Berreth hit a single to left to drive in the runs to cut the deficit to 10-7. Berreth then scored on a passed ball to further cut into the deficit.

McKay kept it rolling with an RBI single to center. Later in the inning, Nanini scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 10-10. A walk with the bases loaded then drove in McKay for a run that gave Havre the lead. Jevin Jenkins then scored on a passed ball to give Havre a 12-10 lead.

The Northstars held on by keeping Glendive scoreless the final two innings of the game. Solomon earned the win as he allowed four hits, two runs and he recorded two strikeouts in 1.1 innings pitched. Quinn Elliot earned the save as he pitched the final inning.

The Northstars continued the tournament Saturday afternoon with a 3-2 win over the Billings Expos. The Expos struck first taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but the Northstars responded in the top of the second. Thanks to a run from Pyle on a fielder's choice, the Northstars tied the game 1-1.

The Expos scored in the bottom of the third to take a 2-1 lead. The Northstars eventually responded in the top of the sixth when Pyle scored on a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. Then in the top of the seventh, Chason Mader hit a single to left to drive in a run to give Havre the 3-2 lead.

The Northstars then held Billings scoreless in the bottom of the seventh to close it out. Jenkins earned the win as he allowed five hits, two runs and three walks in 6.0 innings pitched. Solomon earned the save as he only allowed one hit in the final inning.

The Northstars kept it rolling with an 8-5 win over the Glendive Blue Cheese later Saturday. The Northstars took control early in the top of the first. After a double, Elliot scored on an error to give Havre the lead. An RBI single from Delarosa to center then pushed the lead to 2-0.

Glendive responded in the bottom of the first to cut the deficit to 2-1, but the Northstars retook momentum in the top of the third. With two runners on base, Pyle hit a triple to left to clear the bases and push the lead to 4-1. Delarosa then hit a single to right to drive in Pyle for another run for a 5-1 lead.

Glendive got on a roll in the bottom of the third and was able to cut the deficit to 5-4. But Havre stayed in control with some more runs in the top of the fourth. Tyson Brandon got it started with an RBI single on a bunt. Logan Kinsella then drove in another pair of runs with a single to left to make it an 8-4 lead.

Glendive scored a run in the bottom of the sixth, but it was not enough to extend the game as Havre held on to win. Berreth earned the win on the mound as he allowed four hits, no earned runs and he recorded four strikeouts in 3.2 innings pitched. At the plate, both Kinsella and Pyle went 3-4 with two RBIs.

With another successful weekend, the Northstars improved their record to 34-15-1 this season. They remain hot as they have now gone 18-2 in their last 20 games. Their hot streak has come right in time with just one week left of the regular season.

The Havre Northstars will next play in a road doubleheader against the Lethbridge Miners this Tuesday night starting at 5 p.m.

Havre 12, Blue Devils 10

HAV 0 2 1 2 0 7 0 - 12 7 2

BD 1 4 0 0 5 0 0 - 10 9 3

WP - Colter Solomon

LP - V. Torres

Havre Batting - Drake Berreth 1-5, Kale Reno 1-2, Brody Nanini 1-3, Conner McKay 2-5, Jevin Jenkins 0-3, Ezra Pyle 0-3, Tanner Delarosa 1-3, Chason Mader 0-1, Colter Solomon 1-3.

Havre 3, Billings 2

HAV 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 - 3 5 1

BIL 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 2 6 1

WP - Jevin Jenkins

LP - Nick

Havre Batting - Kale Reno 0-3, Drake Berreth 0-4, Brody Nanini 0-0, Conner McKay 1-4, Ezra Pyle 2-4, Tanner Delarosa 0-2, Jevin Jenkins 0-1, Chason Mader 1-4, Colter Solomon 0-3, Tyson Brandon 1-1.

Havre 8, Blue Cheese 5

HAV 2 0 3 3 0 0 X - 8 12 4

BC 1 0 3 0 0 1 X - 5 5 3

WP - Drake Berreth

Havre Batting - Tyson Brandon 1-2, Logan Kinsella 3-4, Quinn Elliot 0-3, Chason Mader 0-4, Ezra Pyle 3-4, Tanner Delarosa 2-3, Colter Solomon 0-3, Kale Reno 2-3, Conner McKay 0-1, Drake Berreth 1-1.

Havre 11, Blue Devils 8, Championship

BD 2 2 0 3 0 0 1 - 8 7 1

HAV 0 5 0 5 1 0 X - 11 11 2

WP - Kale Reno

LP - A. Zody

Havre Batting - Ezra Pyle 2-5, Drake Berreth 0-1, Brody Nanini 3-3, Conner McKay 2-4, Tanner Delarosa 0-2, Chason Mader 1-1, Kale Reno 0-1, Quinn Elliot 1-2, Logan Kinsella 1-3, Colter Solomon 1-4, Tyson Brandon 0-3.