Sometimes, teams with nothing to lose really do have it made. Such was the case this week for the Corvallis Blue Devil softball team. This young team not only put themselves in the mix for a berth at state, they showed they are contenders too.

Thursday night the Frenchtown Broncs came to Corvallis for the Blue Devils’ home opener. Frenchtown had not lost a game since their season opener to the top-ranked Polson Pirates.

“We knew Frenchtown was a tough team,” said coach Rich Borden. “I told the girls that this is a team that was picked at the top of this conference and you know what an opportunity it is for us to go out and knock somebody off the top right out of the chute.”

Although Frenchtown got a hit off Kasie Conder right away in the game, the Blue Devil defense stepped up and didn’t let the batter score. But Conder, a junior, didn’t let the hit phase her. She kept on throwing her game and striking out players. By the end of the night she had struck out 12 batters.

“Obviously Kasie had her ‘A’ game going,” said Borden. “She pitched really well. And we had the defense to back her today.”

There were a couple of bobbles, as Jessica Adair in center field can attest. The lone senior in the outfield kept her composure and the ball, even though it popped out of her glove on a long Frenchtown hit, for one out and more importantly, a chance to stop a scoring drive. She also hit the fence grabbing another long ball.

“I was really excited, our first home game,” said Adair. “I wasn’t really thinking much except to catch the ball.”

Frenchtown had another chance to score when Meghan Auch missed a grounder inside third base and it rolled out. But she hustled to the ball, made the throw to second and the Blue Devils thwarted the Broncs again.

The two teams battled for seven scoreless innings. Then it was extra innings. In the bottom of the 8th inning, Corvallis had a chance to score. Kylynn Pelkey hit the leadoff single to get on base. Then Conder stepped to the box. Once before, the Broncs had walked her, and they would again, advancing Pelkey. A bunt and Pelkey was on third base. Up stepped Sam Nelson. The last time the quiet catcher was in this position, she struck out.

“They walked Kasie twice to get to Sam,” said Borden. The first time with runners in the scoring position, she strikes out. We just told her, there’s no one else we want in there.”

Nelson swung and missed. “I was thinking way too much,“ said Nelson.

Then, like a script from a movie, she connected with the ball, sending it to the hole in center field. Pelkey headed for home and scored the only run and the winning run. Corvallis 1, Frenchtown 0.

Saturday, the Blue Devils played two games on the road. They defeated Ronan, 7-1, in a conference game. Then it was on to Polson to play the Pirates. Polson got two early runs but then Corvallis answered with two of their own in the second inning. Polson scored again in the fifth inning but Corvallis came back in the sixth to tie the game. Polson laid down one last run for the win in the seventh inning. Conder had a triple and Nelson had a double and an RBI.

Hamilton defeated Ronan, 11-1, on Saturday. Nicki Koning pitched the five inning game which ended with the 10-run rule in effect. Cierra Smith had a double. Chelsey Krueger, Koning, and Smith each had an RBI. Rachell Wood and Kelly Lokken each had two RBIs.

Hamilton fell to Polson, 5-3. Annie Schultz had a home run and two RBIs. Smith also had an RBI.

Stevensville fell to Anaconda, 9-4, on Friday. The Yellowjackets struggled with their hitting and walking batters.

“We hit the ball right at those girls,” said coach Jon Vercruyssen. “We have to get our hands quicker on the bat and drive the ball past the fielders.”

Thompson Falls defeated Florence, 6-2.

Potter, Johnson claim wins for Stevi

The Missoula County Stadium at Big Sky High School was the meeting point for more than 850 athletes on Saturday at the Missoula County Invitational. Teams from Kalispell to Great Falls to Dillon took part in the one day marathon which featured some of the top track athletes in the state. The weather cooperated as well which made for an enjoyable day all around.

Missoula Big Sky took the girls team championship with 109.5 points. Corvallis finished in seventh place with 36 points followed by Hamilton with 33 points. Stevensville finished with 13 points and Darby with 10.

Speed was the name of the game for the Corvallis girls. Whitney Henderson finished third in the 100 with a time of 13.56. She was fourth in the 200 with teammate Ashlee DellaSilva taking second with a time of 26.22 seconds, the fastest 200 in Class A so far this year. The two then joined up with Sami Berner and Kim Gilder to take first in the 400 relay, setting another Class A state best with a time of 51.16. Gilder also tied for fifth in the 100 hurdles.

Hamilton finished third in the 400 relay with a time of 51.54. Michelle Jones of Hamilton claimed their only first place finish with a victory in the 800. Her time was 2:27.30. Hamilton’s Megan Baker finished sixth in the 300 hurdles with a time of 50.98 and Alicia Toews finished sixth in the triple jump with 33-2.

Stevensville’s Brekka Johnson, only a freshman, claimed first in the triple jump with 34-2. Johnson also finished sixth in the 200 with 27.36

Darby’s Heather Memorest, another freshman, finished fifth in the 800 with a time of 2:30.28. Her time of 5:31.28 in the 1,600 was good enough for fifth. Seeley-Swan’s Caitlin Stone won the event with a state best of 5:17.90.

Stevensville’s Jesse Potter brought home two first place finishes which was enough to give the Yellowjackets seventh place in the boys’ team scoring. Stevensville finished with 42 points. Kalispell won with 124 points.

Potter broke the tape in 51.69 seconds in the 400. He was followed by Hamilton’s Ryan Turley who clocked a 51.88. Tieg Gibbs of Stevensville finished fifth with 53.51.

Potter also took the top spot in the triple jump with a leap of 43-0. This is currently the best in the state in Class A. Isaac Hunter, also of Stevensville, finished fifth with 40-3-3/4. He finished fourth in the 200 with a time of 23.23. Potter finished his day in the 800 with a time of 2:02.60 which gave him fourth place.

Hamilton’s Turley finished sixth in the 100 with a time of 11.80. He was fifth in the 200 with a time of 23.45.

The 1,600 relay matched Turley and Potter once again. Stevensville finished fifth with a time of 3:33.80 and Hamilton was sixth with a time of 3:37.65.

Darby’s Paul Abrahamsen finished sixth in the 3,200 with a time of 9:47.8. That is unofficially the best time for a Class B runner at this time.

Corvallis had two throwers place in the meet. Dennis Jessop finished sixth in the javelin with a throw of 161-5. Dalton Sybrant finished fourth in the discus with a toss of 144-2-1/2.

Bigfork track meet

The Florence girls track team captured the team title in the 11-team meet on the heels of Katie Neimeir who won both races in the hurdles as well as placing second in the 100 and 200 meter races. Neimeir’s times in the 100 hurdles and the 300 hurdles were 16.7 and 49.33 respectively. Florence also won both the 400 and 1,600 relays with times of 53.13 and 4:28.3.

Florence finished first with 116 points followed by Ronan with 110. Cut Bank (57), Bigfork (52), Whitefish JV (46), Libby (44), Charlo (36), Thompson Falls (31), Dutton (16), Eureka (12), and Columbia Falls JV (6), rounded out the field.

Rachell Warr of Florence finished fourth in the 1,600 and fifth in the 3,200. She also was fourth in the discus. Katie Kirby finished second in the javelin and teammate Rae Baerlocher was fifth. Cortney Reynolds was second in the 400 and Bessie Crews was fourth. Brooke Zeiler finished second in the 800.

The Florence boys finished fourth behind Libby, Ronan and Cut Bank. Joe Redfern took the 100 meter race with a winning time of 11.41. Sam Fernandez finished second in the 200 with a time of 24.44, fourth in the 110 hurdles and second in the 300 hurdles. The 400 relay team finished fourth behind Libby, Eureka, and Bigfork.

Olmedo to compete at National Super Senior Championship

Luis Olmedo, Hamilton High School Tennis Coach, will be traveling to Charleston, South Carolina next weekend to compete in the USTA Super Senior National Championships sponsored by Chrysler. He will be joined by teammates Herb Spradlin, Bigfork, Dave Harmon, Libby, John Alexander, Winston Cham-A-Koon and Michael Mason from Great Falls. The Montana 9.0 team is representing not only the state but the Intermountain Section, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Nevada. The play will be flighted with teams representing the 17 participating USTA Sections. For more information contact USTA/Montana District Office at 406/449-6131.

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