Lady Hawks notch big softball wins
By any standard, this year’s Thompson Falls softball team is a significantly improved team starting to show its potential.
They started the year with four straight lopsided wins, it was surprising to say the least to see they lost in St. Ignatius 16-1.
Would this year’s team have the special trait good teams have to shake it off and bounce back?
Up. Absolutely. You bet!
Going into this past week Lady Hawks were 3-0, having been the victim of a cold, wet spring.
But they started the week with a dominating 14-4 win over Troy, and concluded it with an even more lopsided win over Deer Lodge Saturday in T-Falls, a pair of strong wins packaged around a lone loss.
Against Troy this past Tuesday in Troy, the Lady Hawks tacked up two runs on the scoreboard in the first inning on a two run homer by Cheyla Irvine and never trailed on their way to the five inning win. Troy came back in the bottom of the first with a single run to make it 2-1 T Falls.
But in the top of the second, the Hawks erupted for seven runs in the second led by Cella VanHuss’ two RBI single, an RBI double by Taylor Saner and a pair of runs off Troy errors.
When the dust settled T Falls had a commanding lead, they added a solo run in the top of the third to make it 10-0.
The Hawks iced the game in the top of inning number four behind a two-run home run by Olivia Fitchett. The game was called after five innings with T Falls ahead 14-4. The Hawks outhit Troy 11-4 and were aided by seven untimely Troy errors.
Two nights later the Lady Hawks continued their three-game road swing with the stop in St. Ignatius for a game with the co-op Mission/Arlee/Charlo team.
After T Falls took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Saner solo HR, MAC erupted for 10 runs in the bottom of the second, including a home run by K. Page, who had four RBIs for the game.
The Saner home run would be T Falls’ only hit of the game, while Mission clubbed 19 hits over the five innings of play.
Down, but not out, the Lady Hawks cruised into Deer Lodge for a game with Powell County High. Both teams scored three runs in their half of the first inning. That was the end of the scoring for Deer Lodge and just the beginning for the Lady Hawks’ batters.
They socred nine runs in the top of the second inning on RBI singles by Irvine, Gabrielle Hannum and Oiivia Harnett and took advantage of several wild pitches along the way.
It got worse for the home team in the top of the third, when T Falls plated eight more runs, including a home run by Liv McCormick to bring the game to an end via the Mercy rule when Deer Lodge went scoreless in the bottom of the third trailing score 20-3.
Next up was a double header at home versus Loyola this past Monday (April 17). The Lady Hawks travel to Missoula this Friday and Saturday for games with Manhattan, Ennis and Three Forks.