Trotters catch fire

PLAINS – The Plains Trotters softball team has had a big week. The girls have competed in three doubleheader-filled days of softball and are now riding high. 

Plains started the week with a respectable winning record. After multiple doubleheader sweeps, the Trotters are now comfortably above the .500 mark. The team’s performance this week has them in excellent position as the postseason approaches. 

The Trotters capped off their week with their ninth and tenth wins of the year, against the Bulldogs from Mission High School of St. Ignatius. 

The Trotters won the first ticket by a score of 9-4; the nightcap was a little tenser as Plains trailed Mission 5-0 in the early frames and 8-4 as late as the fifth inning. 

Nonetheless, the Plains girls found a way and pulled off an impressive 8-7 come from behind win to complete the two-game sweep. 

The day game of the set featured a moving display of sportsmanship from Bulldogs backstop, Alyssa Doty. In the bottom of the fifth inning, outfielder Shaira Caldwell injured her ankle on a slide into third base. 

The ball had gone out of play during the at bat on an errant throw, meaning Caldwell was awarded home plate. However, the injury left Caldwell unable to jog the 60 feet to home plate. Doty of Mission stepped to the occasion, carrying the Plains base runner to the plate, so she could touch home, officially tallying the ninth run of the afternoon for Plains. 

Doty’s actions drew recognition from the crowd, players and coaches, in appreciation of the impressive gesture of sportsmanship in the middle of competition. 

The majority of the previous runs scored by Plains were courtesy of Sami Kinzie and Leah Thompson, who each drove in runs during game one. Kinzie went 1-3 with three runs driven in, while L. Thompson went 1-4 at the dish, plating two more runs for the Trotters. 

On the defensive side of the effort, Mission was held in check by starting pitcher Tia Thompson, who racked up double-digits in strikeouts, punching out 10 of the Bulldog batters she faced. 

T. Thompson followed up her impressive day game effort with another strong performance in the final game of the doubleheader.

Batting in the bottom of the sixth, with Plains down by three runs and three Trotters on the pond, T. Thompson brought them all home, launching a grand slam and giving the home squad the go-ahead run in the 8-7 contest. 

Additional offense for Plains was provided by infielder Jena Peterson, who went 2-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs. 

Over the weekend the Trotters softball team sent off their seniors in style, with a senior night sweep of their doubleheader against Deer Lodge. 

The win wraps up a stellar week of ball by the Plains girls, who have now won seven games in a row, heading into their final match up of the regular season, a doubleheader on the road against Loyola Sacred Heart of Missoula. 

Before the fist game of the double-dip, coaches, teammates and fans honored catcher Alex Greene and starting pitcher Tia Thompson. 

Following the pre-game ceremonies, the Trotters went on to win their first game against visiting Deer Lodge, with a final score of 9-5. 

However, the win did not come easily, as Deer Lodge held a 4-3 lead until the bottom of the sixth inning. At this late juncture of the came the Trotters rallied, pulling off an impressive six run frame, on their way to a 9-4 victory in the day game. 

Thompson continued her dominance in the circle, picking up the win and keeping Plains in the game until their late rally. 

Thompson also helped her own cause out at the plate; going 1-3, with her lone hit being a home run. Thompson was not the only member of the Trotters to leave the yard, as outfielder Josey Carr also homered in their come from behind win. 

Sami Kinzie and Danika Whitcomb were also instrumental in the win. Whitcomb went 3-4 with two RBIs, while Kinzie recorded a 2-4 day at the plate, also driving in two runs and hitting two doubles. 

Plains pulled off another come from behind win in the nightcap, ensuring their seniors final game at home ended victoriously. After falling behind early, 2-0, the Trotters rallied one more time, compiling a 5-2 lead throughout the course of the game, ensuring the series sweep. 

In the late game, Thompson, retained her control over opposing batters. She only allowed two hits in the course of her final home start, pitching all seven of the innings, in a complete game effort. 

The Trotters offense came courtesy of Hailey Coe who went 1-2 driving in two runs, and Josey Carr who notched a double in a 1-4 day at the dish. 

The ladies of Plains are now 12-4 and appear to be hitting their stride at an opportune point in the season, as the playoffs lie right around the corner.

The Trotters have won seven games in a row, including back-to-back-to-back doubleheaders, with only one game left in the regular season campaign.