BUTTE — Laurel and Hamilton will meet Tuesday to determine the final state champion of the 2025-26 athletic year.
The Locomotives and Broncs were supposed to play for the Class A state softball championship Saturday in Hamilton, but weather postponed the title game just minutes before it was set to start. Officials ultimately moved the game to Stodden Park in Butte. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. Tuesday.
The tournament started last Thursday at Hamilton High School, and the Broncs, the No. 1 seed out of the Southwest division, reached the championship game through the winners' bracket. They defeated Lockwood 9-4 in the second round Thursday, Lewistown 9-1 in the third round Friday and Frenchtown 15-7 in the undefeated semifinal Saturday morning.
Laurel, meanwhile, qualified for the tournament as the No. 2 seed from the Southeast division. The Locomotives topped Polson 13-4 in the first round Thursday before losing to Lewistown 3-2 in the second round later in the day.
Laurel, though, won three loser-out games Friday to keep its season alive. The Locos beat Havre 13-1, Lockwood 17-5 and Libby 8-3. They then won two more loser-out games Saturday morning — 5-4 over Columbia Falls and 11-1 over Frenchtown — to reach the title game.
Laurel will need to beat Hamilton twice in order to win the championship, while the Broncs need to win just one game.
According to the teams' schedules on Gamechanger, Hamilton is 20-3, Laurel is 22-9 and the teams split their two regular-season meetings.
