With only a month left until the state championships, the softball teams are getting into the tournament mode where they play multiple games in a day. The Frenchtown Invitational is the lead off tournament and offers teams a glimpse of teams they normally wouldn’t get a chance to play.
Florence, a Class B school, took on the powerhouse Frenchtown Broncs in their opening game on Friday. Veteran pitcher Courtney Byrne couldn’t stop the Bronc bats as Florence fell, 5-0.
Florence’s next opponent was Corvallis. The Falcons put five runs on the board in the first inning and went on to win, 12-0 in five innings. Stephanie Drozdz went 2-for-3 and had three RBIs. She also had a double. Hailey Huot was also 2-for-3 with two RBIS and a double. Courtney Byrne had an RBI as well. Megan Byrne allowed only one hit in the game.
Corvallis defeated Thompson Falls, 19-3. Zena Smith was the pitcher for the Blue Devils and Gianna Schrock was the catcher. Kira Doyle had three RBIs as did Smith. Schrock, Katherine Grenfell and Taia Tully all had two RBIs.
Hamilton lost to Libby, 6-3, in eight innings. Hamilton’s Brie Clifford was the losing pitcher even though she struck out 14 batters. Clifford also had a double and an RBI. She was 3-for-4 at bat.
The Lady Broncs came back to defeat Columbia Falls, 5-2, later on Friday. Katlyn Menk was the winning pitcher. Kiley Newton went 2-for-4 at bat and finished with a double. Taylor Goligoski had a home run and knocked in two runners.
Stevensville defeated Loyola, 3-0, in non-conference action. Carly Vercruyssen pitched a complete game with Megan Finley as her catcher. Alycia Sims went 3-for-3 and had a double, a triple and an RBI. Finley and Kayla Knights had the other two RBIs.
Stevensville also defeated Thompson Falls on Friday, 16-4. Vercruyssen was the starting pitcher and got the win. Maid Boesch came in and relieved Vercruyssen in the fourth inning. Finley had seven RBIs, and a home run and a double. Jenna Lockman went 3-for-3 with two RBIs.
On Saturday, Stevensville ran up against Frenchtown. The Broncs won, 10-0. Vercruyssen was the losing pitcher. The Yellowjackets also lost to Ronan, 10-0.
Florence defeated Anaconda, 13-6. The Byrne sisters, Courtney and Megan, took turns on the pitching rubber. Courtney started at the position but then Megan took over in the fifth. Courtney came back in the seventh. Megan Byrne had a home run and three RBIs. Hayley Cole had two RBIs and a double. Micayla Cole went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Paige Bodner had two RBIs.
Florence defeated Hamilton, 9-2. Megan Byrne was the winning pitcher and Hayley Cole was the catcher. She also had a double and two RBIs. Micayla Cole had an RBI as well. Megan Byrne had one RBI and Courtney Byrne had two. McKayl Rothie went 3-for-4 for Hamilton and had an RBI.
Corvallis fell to Columbia Falls, 10-0, and to Loyola, 10-0.