Lady Hawks heat up the diamond

Thompson Falls battled its way through three close games, and finished 1-2 in a busy week.

After limping to an 0-4 start, the defending Western B-C champs have gone 2-2 over the last two, making them 2-6 on the season.

Although clichéd, Thompson Falls head coach Randy Pirker insists his team’s turnaround is the result of practice. After graduating a star pitcher and a number of starting position players, the Lady Hawks have needed some time to jell and learn their defensive responsibilities.

“I’m very proud of the girls,” Pirker said. “They’re coming along just exactly like I thought they would.”

Thompson Falls opened its week, falling 3-6 on Thursday at Florence. It was the second time the Lady Hawks had faced the Falcons in as many weeks and although they didn’t come up with a win,  Pirker was pleased with the result.

Pirker said adjusting his defense to defend the bunt, helped quite a bit. He also said that although Courtney Byrne pitched an excellent game, her defense allowed several errors, which helped the Lady Hawks keep things close.

Byrne struck out 10, allowed four hits with no walks, while advancing to 7-0.

Brittany Bray picked up the loss for Thompson Falls. She pitched a complete game and threw two strike outs.

For Florence, Byrne was as effective behind the plate as she was on the mound, hitting a two-run single in the fifth-inning. Paige Bodner and Cody Miller also had RBIs in the win.

Kelsey Fitchett, Brittany Bray and Shannon Saint all had RBI singles for Thompson Falls. Kaylie Cox also added a hit in the loss.

On Saturday, the Lady Hawks hosted Drummond in a double header that was re-scheduled after a rain delay cancelled the affair earlier this season. The two teams would split the back-and-forth, one-day series.

Although the games would proceed as scheduled, weather was certainly a factor as rain contributed to a sloppy field and slippery ball.

In game one, Thompson Falls emerged victorious, 4-3. The Lady Hawks led 3-0 heading into the seventh inning, but a Trojan rally had tied things up before Naomi Rummel, who led off the inning with a single, came around to score.

“It’s nice to get in a close game like that and actually pull a win off,” Pirker said.

Bray picked up her second win of the season.

Bray was 2-for-2 with a double at the plate. Acacia Eaton, Kayla Start, Taylor Bolster, Saint and Fitchett also had hits for Thompson Falls.

For Drummond, Breanna Wight went 2 for 3 with an RBI in the loss.

In the second game, lighting would even come into play as the sun began to set. The fortunes were reversed as Drummond rallied late, winning 9-8. In the seventh inning, Emilie Angelo hit a fly ball to left field which tied things at 8-all. She would eventually come around to score herself.

Pirker said, the weather, fatigue and poor lighting all contributed to the wild finish and higher score in the second game.

Rhianna Pool hit a home run and had two RBIs for Drummond.

For Thompson Falls, Taylor Bolster went 4 for 4 with two doubles. Cox and Stark added singles and Fitchett a double in the loss.

Bray took the mound and another loss for Thompson Falls.

This week, the Lady Hawks will travel to Troy on Thursday.