For softball fans, Bozeman was the place to be this past weekend. The Montana State softball championships were held for girls from 8 to 18. Teams from throughout Montana competed for the championship in five divisions, 18 & U, 16 & U, 14 & U, 12 & U, and 10 & U.

The Bitterroot Sparks brought three teams to the tournament: a 12 & U, 14 & U and 10 & U. Each of the teams is made up of players from not just the Bitterroot but throughout this region. There are players from Frenchtown, Bonner, Missoula, and Lolo playing alongside the Bitterroot players on each of the teams. And there are some Bitterroot players that play for teams from Missoula or, in the case of Chelsea Ralls of Florence, a Billings team.

Morgan Johnson of the Bitterroot Sparks 10 & Under team ties the game at 3-3 during the semi final game against the Billings Bulldogs. Bitterroot won, 4-3, and finished second in their division in the state. Jean Schurman photo.

Although the sport is growing in the Bitterroot, there are still not enough players to field a Bitterroot-only team in any of the divisions. This is changing slowly, according to Scott Byrne, one of the coaches on the U14 team. He hopes that next year there will be a couple of teams in the younger divisions.

The 10 & U Sparks team finished second in the tournament, losing to the Polson Little Lakers. It was the second time the two teams had met in the tournament and the fifth time the two had battled for the championship this season. Polson won, 11-5, to claim the crown.

“They were a little beaten up,” said coach Wendy Peterson. “The girls played tough, but they were worn out.”

One player, Kendall Mooney, played the game with a broken toe. Mooney, the catcher, injured the toe in the semi final game against the Billings Bulldogs. The Sparks won that game, 4-3, in the bottom of the 7th when Morgan Johnson hit a single and then stole second, third and home to break the tie. Macy Newbary pitched a good game, according to Peterson, and finished with several strikeouts. The Sparks had an hour to regroup and get ready to play Polson for the championship after defeating Billings.

The U10 Sparks opened their tournament with a decisive win over the Great Falls Heat, 18-0. Next up on their plate were the Little Lakers on Saturday morning. Polson hit the ball well and defeated Bitterroot, 8-2. That put the U10 team into the loser’s bracket.

They rallied and topped the Belgrade Wolfpack, 14-0 and the Great Falls Select (White team), 12-0, to finish out their play on Saturday.

The 12 & Under team is coached by Byrne who said his team had a “great, great tournament and season.” The team finished with a 3-2 record and although they lost their first game on Friday, they were able to win three games in a row on Saturday and then play on Sunday. They finished tied for fifth place.

The U12 Sparks team first played the Mountain West Crush of Helena and lost. But they rallied and came back to defeat the Anaconda Cyclones, 12-5. Emily Lewis had two outstanding catches in the outfield, according to Byrne, including a diving catch and a sliding catch. Paige Bodner was 3-for-4 and scored three runs.

Next up was the Frenchtown Fury. Bitterroot defeated them, 10-2. Courtney Byrne pitched a complete game and took the win. Cassandra Skeers was 2-for-3 at bat and scored two runs. She also had an outstanding defensive game, said Byrne. Brittani Foshag was 3-for-3 at bat, and saved her best hitting of the year for this tournament.

After topping Frenchtown, the Sparks took on the Bozeman Stealers and topped them, 5-2. It was a tough, defensive game with Courtney Byrne pitching. Whitney Jessop, the third base player for the Sparks, played well and kept the team in the game defensively. Byrne said Hailey Cole did well batting in this game and Erica Allen of Corvallis had a couple of standout plays, running balls down in the outfield and not letting any hits get past her.

On Sunday morning, the U12 Sparks had to be on the diamond at 8 a.m. The long day Saturday caught up with them and they lost to Kalispell, 7-0. Byrne took the opportunity to move some of the players into new positions and he said they all played well in those positions. He was very impressed with one of the younger members, McKenna Gagnon, who really stepped up in this game.

The U12 Sparks finished their season just over .500.

No other results were available.

Stevi 4-H archer wins national title

From MSU News Service

Justin Nelson of Stevensville won the title of national champion individual recurve archer at the National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational Tournament in Grand Island, Nebraska June 24-28. Montana 4-H shooters stacked up well against 4-H shooters across the country. After qualifying as state champions, a delegation of 21 Montana 4-H shooters participated in the national tournament. The Montana 4-H Recurve Archery Team took the silver medal and both the Air Pistol and Small Bore Rifle Teams won National Championships. Montana is also the home of national champion individuals in Recurve Archery and Air Pistol. With 30 states represented and nearly 500 shooters in attendance, Montana 4-Hers made a good impression.

The Silver Medalist Recurve Archery Team included Rachel Potter, Beaverhead County; Justin Nelson, Ravalli County; Jesse Sykes, Park County; and Jessie Roe, Lewis and Clark County. The team was coached by Nancy Roe of Lewis and Clark County.

In Recurve Archery the Montana Team was awarded the Silver Medal for the FITA contest and the Silver Medal in Field Recurve. In individual FITA, Justin Nelson won the Bronze Medal and Jessie Roe took ninth place. In Field Archery, Jessie Roe took home the individual Gold Medal and Justin Nelson placed sixth.

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