They are young and most people didn’t expect the Lady Falcons to go very far this year at the state tournament. Even though Florence has had a run of state championships and has a winning tradition, most of these players are freshmen and sophomores. There are only two seniors on the team, Chloe Arthur and Natalie Drozdz. In fact, the Lady Falcons went into the state tournament as the No. 4 seed from the west. However, the Lady Falcons proved a lot of people wrong when they finished third at the state tournament.
Florence opened against Glasgow, the No. 2 seed from the east. No one scored a run until the fourth inning when Florence got on the board. Glasgow rallied and took a two-run lead but then Florence came back and scored five runs in the last two innings to win, 6-3. Shannon Byrne was the winning pitcher with Chloe Arthur catching. Arthur had a double and two RBIs. Brooklyn Little had an RBI.
In the second round, Florence took on another tough team, Huntley Project. This team was also a well-seasoned state contender and Florence had to play tough. Arthur hit a home run to start the Lady Falcons off. Arthur made it home again on an error to put Florence up by two runs. Huntley cam back to take the lead but then a passed ball allowed a Florence runner to steal home and take the lead. Florence went on to score five runs and take another upset win, 8-4.
That win advanced Florence right into the sights of the defending state champions, Conrad, and their ace pitcher, Tristin Achenbach. Achenbach struck out 11 Florence players and led her team to a 10-0 win, ending Florence’s hopes of a state championship.
Florence then had to play Huntley Project again, this time for third place. The Red Devils jumped out early and went on to win, 14-6, giving Florence third place. Drozdz went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Arthur went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Shay Waldbillig and Sarah Schurg each had an RBI. Florence finished their season with a 13-10 record. Conrad went on to defeat Huntley Project and win the championship.
Hamilton started off strongly at the state A tournament in Belgrade. They took on the No. 3 team from the Northwest, Polson. A five-run third inning put the Lady Broncs up and they went on to win, 12-2. Freshman phenom Jorden Taggart was the winning pitcher with Kelsey Meis catching. Rachel Ringer went 3-for-4 with a home run. Mallory McGill went 3-for-4 with a home run. Rachel Richardson was perfect, hitting 3-for-3 with a home run. Caitlin Dillon had a triple.
Hamilton advanced to the second round where they met up with Laurel. Although Hamilton got on base and scored two runs in the first inning, they fell a run short and lost, 8-7. Sky Lopez and Taggart were the pitchers for the Lady Broncs. Dillon went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. McGill was also 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Kloie Nye had an RBI.
Hamilton then played Dawson County in loser out action. Taggart was the pitcher for Hamilton. Richardson went 1-for-3 with a triple. Ringer was 1-for-4 with a home run but it was not enough. Hamilton lost, 10-5 and ended their season with a 13-10 record.
Corvallis took on Columbia Falls in a slugfest in their opening game at the state tournament. Columbia Falls won, 21-11. Corvallis had eight hits in the game. Taia Tully had a home run and a double. She was 2-for-3 at bat. Bobbi Stephen was 2-for-4.
Corvallis then played Lewistown and again had a lot of hits and runs. But they lost, 23-15. Hannah Capko went 4-for-5 with a double and five RBIs. Kiley Mullen went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Tully had three RBIs. Corvallis finished their season with a 13-8 record. Frenchtown won the state championship.