Trotters upset Lady Hawks in softball rematch

The first time they played this year was the first game of the new season for both the Plains Trotters and the Thompson Falls Lady Hawks fast pitch softball teams.

In the season opener back on March 27, Thompson Falls emerged with an 18-6 win.

Fast forward to Monday of this past week and the tables were turned as the Trotters pulled off the victory on their home field, beating the visiting Lady Hawks 10-4.

T-Falls came into the game with a lofty 11-3 season record, while Plains was 5-11 on the year.

In the first game of the year, Thompson Falls put together a solid offensive show to go with outstanding early season pitching from their deep pitching staff to keep the Plains bats in check.

This time around it was Plains who had the day’s solid pitching and timely hitting.

Plains jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the bottom of the first inning when they loaded the bases with no outs. They put the game’s first run on the scoreboard when senior shortstop Carlie Wagoner stole home. Izzy Crabb upped the Trotters advantage to 2-0 when she singled to left field, scoring Jaelyn Carr. The next batter up, Aliyah Heathers, doubled to left, scoring Kassidy O’Keefe.

Before the inning ended, junior Marissa Young stole home to give the Trotters a 4-0 lead.

Piper Bergstrom, Plains’ senior pitcher, kept the Lady Hawks in check the next two innings to preserves the 4-0 lead heading into the fourth frame. Thompson Falls pushed across it’s first run of the game when sophomore catcher Sarah Koskela, who walked to open the inning, scored on a steal of home, cutting the Plains lead to 4-1.

The Trotters matched that solo run in the bottom of the fourth when Wagoner doubled in Aubree Butcher, who had reached on a single.

T Falls tacked on two more runs in the top of the fifth inning, getting an RBI single from Liv McCormick, scoring Olivia Harnett from third. McCormick then stole home to cut the Plains lead to 5-3.

However, Plains more than matched those two runs when they exploded for five tallies in the bottom of the fifth, paced by a two RBI double off Crabb’s hot bat. Butcher drove in a run with a hard single, followed a short time later by an RBI on a double by Carr. Butcher stole home for the fifth run of the inning.

Neither team scored in the sixth inning. Thompson Falls added a solo run in the top of the seventh but it was not enough to overtake the Trotters who secured the 10-4 win.

Crabb was the hitting star of the day for the Trotters, going two for three at the plate while driving in three runs.

Wagoner had another solid offensive game, getting two hits on three at bats with one RBI.

Both teams had nine hits for the game. McCormick went 3-4 batting with an RBI and two runs scored for the Lady Hawks.

Bergstrom went the distance on the mound giving up four earned runs while striking out three Lady Hawks and issuing three walks.

Last Thursday, Thompson Falls traveled to Eureka for a game with the Lincoln County Lady Lions. The Lady Hawks built a 5-1 lead after four innings of play, only to watch as Eureka tacked on six runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-5 lead, which became the game’s final score when T Falls could not score in the top of the seventh.

Both teams had six hits for the game, while Eureka committed six errors to four miscues by T Falls.

McCormick went 1-2 at the plate and drove in a pair of runs for the Lady Hawks, while Teagan Saner, who missed the Plains game, was 1-3.

Plains had a game scheduled for this past Saturday at home against Eureka, but the game was rained out.

Both local teams have home games this Thursday (May 11), with Thompson Falls hosting MAC (Mission, Arlee, Charlo) at 4 p.m., while Plains entertains Troy at 3 p.m.