Noxon-Thompson Falls baseball notches wins

Back-to-back wins for the first time this season are evidence the Noxon-Thompson Falls baseball team is making progress in 2025.

After a game with Columbia Falls was cancelled at the beginning of last week, the Red Devils responded with a 14-3 win over Troy last Wednesday, then capped their week this past Saturday with a 5-2 home win over Browning. 

The pair of victories for coach Lucas MacArthur’s team improved their overall record to 4-8 as the regular season races toward conclusion this week. 

After a 0-0 stalemate at the end of the first inning, Noxon-T Falls pushed six runs across the plate in the bottom of the second on their home field in Noxon. 

Troy answered with a single run in the top of the third, making it 6-1, but NTF matched that run in the bottom of the fourth, restoring their six-run lead. 

Neither team scored in the fifth. 

Troy put up a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, trimming the NTF lead to 6-3.  However, the Red Devils more than matched those runs in the bottom of the sixth with seven of their own to lock up the 11-run victory. 

Noxon pitcher Shane Hatchel had a great day on the mound and at the plate, where he was 3-4, drove in three runs and scored twice.  Hatchel also threw five of the six innings, giving up just five hits while striking out 10 Troy batters. 

CJ Yoder drove in two for the home team, while teammate Sheldon Frank was 3-4 with one RBI in the Noxon win.  Carson Orr paced Troy with a 3-4 day at the dish. 

Saturday in Noxon, the Red Devils took a 1-0 lead with a solo score in the bottom of the first.  Neither team scored in the second or third innings, with Browning held off the scoreboard in the fourth as well. Noxon pushed two runs across the plate in the bottom of the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. 

Both teams scored once in the fifth inning, leaving Noxon with a 4-1 lead going into the top of inning number six.  After failing to score in the top of the sixth, Browning surrendered a single run in the bottom of the frame. 

The Indians scored once in the top of the seventh, but that was all they could get as Noxon held on for the 5-2 win. 

Red Devils pitchers Sheldon Frank (4.2 innings) and Michael Koskela (2.1 innings) combined on a no-hitter while striking out 17 Browning batters between them. 

Carson Kenney was 2-3 with one RBI for Noxon, which also got solo runs batted in from Bryson McCormick, Kade Hill and Gage Park. 

The wins improved NTF to 4-8 on the year. Their other two victories came at the expense of Sanders County rival Plains-Hot Springs. 

Noxon-Thompson Falls has four games left on their schedule, beginning with a home game tonight (May 6) against Bigfork.  They go on the road Thursday to take on Ronan, then travel to Missoula this Saturday (May 10) for a game with Missoula Sentinel.