Plains softball opens season at Polson tourney

It was the first pitch, of the first game of the new season.

Snow clouds swirling around the venue in a 360 degree circle could not dampen the enthusiasm of a well-bundled up crowd.

In fact, the snow that would eventually come, held off for most of the first game.

Hot coffee was in high demand at the concession stand.

Runs for the Plains Trotters softball team were unfortunately harder to come by, but still, they scored the first run of the season in the first inning of the first game.

High School softball season in this corner of the state was officially underway.

In game one of the weather-hampered Polson tournament, Plains shortstop Carlie Wagoner stepped to the plate and laced a single through the Columbia Falls infield for the first hit of the year. She advanced to second on a fielder’s choice, then stole third to put herself squarely in position to score the first run of the 2023 season.

And that she did one batter later when teammate Izzy Crabb lined an RBI single up the middle, driving in Wagoner and giving the Trotters a 1-0 lead.

As it turned out, it was a temporary lead that held up through two innings of what was shaping up as a pitcher’s duel before Columbia Falls strung a series of hits around a series of errors on their way to a six-run bottom of the third.

Trailing 6-1 heading into the top of the fourth, and with the first miniature snowflakes of the afternoon beginning to trickle down, Crabb led off the inning with a bloop single. Next up was Maddy Blood, who also blooped a single just past the out strecthed glove of a WildKats infielder.

Plains pitcher Piper Bergstrom, one of a small handful of seniors on the Trotters’ roster, made it three singles in a row, driving in Crabb to make it 6-2 in favor of Columbia Falls, a Class A school.

That mini-rally was erased in the bottom of the fourth when the WildKats batted through their rotation, plating three more runs without an out to take control 9-2. That marked the end of Bergstrom’s time on the mound as she was replaced by Aubrey Butcher, who fought a bout with control and allowed Columbia Falls to push across four more runs before the WildKats committed two intentional outs in the bottom of the fourth. Ahead 13-2 at the time, the two outs were “surrendered” by WildKats runners on third base, which allowed the umpires to call the game on the 10-run rule.

Next up for the Trotters, who had a short break between games, was a contest with the host Polson Lady Pirates.

A quick glance at the bottom of the scoreboard brought little comfort to Plains fans, who could see the success in terms of state Class championships won by the Lady Pirates, the year of each stenciled along the bottom of the board.

And Polson wasted little time showing that string of success, most recently in 2021, was no fluke.

The hosts held Plains scoreless in the top of the first inning, then went to work with a succession of hits that gave them a 4-0 lead at the end of the first inning.

They doubled their advantage in the bottom of the second, after once again shutting out the Trotters in the top of the inning, giving Polson an 8-0 lead as temperatures hovered in the low 30s.

Polson’s top-flight pitching staff continued to hold Plains scoreless the rest of the way as their potent offense built a commanding 14-0 lead after three innings of play. The game was called when Plains could not score in the top of the fourth.

The Trotters, who play as a Class B school, returned to Sanders County for a game against rival Thompson Falls this past Monday afternoon. Their next game is this coming Saturday in Troy as part of a four-game slate of games on the road.