Lady Hawks notch wins at Three Forks

It was cloudy and cold for the Thompson Falls-Noxon fastpitch softball team’s games against Ennis this past Friday at Pirk’s Place stadium in T Falls.

A brisk rain was also on hand as the Lady Mustangs from south central Montana took both ends of a double-header from T Falls, 12-9 in a hard-fought opener, then losing a heartbreaker in the second game of the double-dip 6-5. 

But the next day was a far better outing for the Lady Hawks who traveled to Three Forks for a pair of games against the Lady Wolves. This time Thompson Falls came out on top of both ends of the double-header, beating the home team 12-10 in the first game, then making it two straight with a 10-6 win in the second game. 

The two wins boosted Thompson Falls to 2-3 on the newly begun 2025 fastpitch softball team, as the Lady Hawks small ball approach to the game, a Sarah Koskela long ball not-withstanding, put them on the winning track. 

In the opener of the Ennis series in T Falls, the Lady Mustangs took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, then watched as a parade of hit by pitch batters for T Falls helped produce three runs, if not a few bruises. 

Ennis took the lead back with three runs in the top of the second, giving them a 5-3 lead that held up until the bottom of the fifth.  With a steady rain falling, the Lady Hawks got a solo run in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the Ennis lead to 5-4. 

Ennis responded with four runs in the top of the sixth, giving them a 9-4 advantage as the rainfall intensified.  The visitors held T Falls scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, then tacked three more runs onto their lead in the top of inning number seven to take a seemingly comfortable 12-4 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. 

But coach Koskela’s teams are known for battling to the final out and responded with five runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull within three, 12-9, before they finally ended the Hawks’ rally.  

Teagan Sander, Annalise Fairbank and Koskela all had two hits for the game, while starting pitcher Olivia Fitchett went one for one at the plate, with two walks, and was credited with two runs batted in.  Centerfield Callie McGillis was 1-4 but drove in three runs for the Hawks. 

The second game of the two with Ennis a short time later turned out to a mid-season-like thriller. 

Both teams scored a single run in their half of the first.  T Falls broke that tie in their half of the second, plating a pair of runs.  Courtesy runner Molly Webb came around to score on a double error by Ennis, then Teagan Saner, who had advanced to third, scored on a single by Fairbank, giving T Falls a 3-1 lead. 

Ennis scored a solo run in the third, but T Falls came back with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, giving the Lady Hawks a 5-2 lead.  Ennis added another single run in the bottom of the fourth, then one more in the bottom of the fifth after holding T Falls scoreless in the top half of the inning. 

Neither team scored in the sixth and Ennis held T Falls without a run in their half of the seventh as the Hawks held on to a 5-4 lead. 

Ennis tied the game via a pair of singles in the bottom of the seventh, gave up the winning run on a passed ball to end the game. 

Fairbank, Koskela and Fitchett all went 2-3 for T Falls.  Koskela also struck out five lady Mustangs during her time on the mound. 

Saturday found the Lady Hawks in Three Forks for a pair of games against the Lady Wolves. 

With the Hawks looking for their first win of the year, small ball was on display as they scored 12 runs on five timely hits. 

Saner gave up seven hits and struck out three while holding the potent Three Forks squad in check for much of the game. 

Saner also had five RBIs while going 1-2 at the plate.  Koskela had a 1-3 outing at the plate and drove in a pair of runs for the Lady Hawks, who picked up their first win of the year. 

In the second game versus Three Forks, the Wolves jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the top of inning number one.  Thompson Falls scored a single run in the bottom of the inning, but the Wolves made up for that with a solo score of their own in the top of the second.  Then, T Falls tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the second, making it 4-4.   

The Lady Hawks outscored Three Forks 5-2 over the next two innings, putting them up 9-6 after four innings of play.  T Falls held the Wolves scoreless in the top of the fifth, then added one run to their lead with a single score in the bottom of the fifth. 

Thompson Falls added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, then held the Lady Wolves scoreless in the top of the seventh to secure their second win of the season, 10-6.  

T Falls outhit Ennis 8-7 in a game with only one error, that a miscue by Ennis. 

Koskela, who had a good weekend at the plate and behind the plate as catcher, was 1-4 in the second game win.  The Miles City Community College signee’s lone hit was a home run, her first of the year. 

Fitchett had a great day at bat, going three-for-four and batting in six runs for the Hawks, including a run-producing double. 

The pair of wins versus Three Forks left T Falls with a 2-3 early season mark. 

Up next for the Lady Hawks is a pair of road games tonight (Tuesday, April 4) against Florence-Carlton.  They close out their week with trip to St. Ignatius for a game against the MAC tri-co-op Bulldogs, who defeated T Falls10-1 in the season opener two weeks ago.