COLUMBIA FALLS — There was no shortage of action in the first day of the Class A state softball tournament.
From walkoffs to great defense and pitching, all 12 teams put forth their best effort on Thursday, and now only four remain unbeaten heading into the quarterfinal round.
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Polson 5, Dillon 4
In a back-and-forth second-round battle between Polson and Dillon, it was Polson coming out on top in this one as the Pirates came from behind and regained the lead after multiple ties.
Kinzie Creighton of Dillon plated two to start off with a two-out single for the early 2-0 lead.
Polson would tie the game back up and eventually take the lead on a two-run double by Natalie Nash that put the Pirates up 4-2.
Then in the bottom of the sixth with the game tied again at 4-4, Jaja Nichols hits in what would be the winning run, advancing Polson to the next round with a 5-4 victory.
Laurel 6, Columbia Falls 5
In the matchup between Laurel and Columbia Falls, the Wildkats took control of this one early, jumping out to a 3-0 lead to start the game.
But the Locomotives slowly fought back. Down 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Laurel’s Kourtney Kraft hit a single to drive in Ashley Brown from second and cut the deficit to two.
Then, with two runners on, Emmerson Gunther sent one over the fence to walk it off and send the two-time reigning state champion Wildkats to the consolation bracket with a 6-5 Laurel victory.
Lewistown 11, Billings Central 1
In the one blowout of the second round, Billings Central struck first as the Rams’ Gianna Haney hit a two-out single to score the Rams' lone run of the game.
Unfortunately for Central, the fun would stop there, as the Golden Eagles struck back with a vegeance, starting with a three-run home run from Jaden Martin that put Lewistown up 2.
The Golden Eagles would ultimately put up 11 unanswered runs en route to an easy 10-run mercy rule in the fifth inning with an 11-1 victory.
Frenchtown 4, Havre 1
In one of the more exciting games of the day between Frenchtown and Havre, it was all defense until the bottom of the sixth inning.
With pitcher Ryan Lucier perfect through six innings, the Broncs had yet to score a run themselves until the bottom of the sixth, when Delanie Magnuson drove in the first run of the game to put the Broncs up 1-0
Then, to add on some insurance, Brooklyn Smith hammered a three-run home run to give the Broncs a 4-0 lead.
Lucier was perfect through 6 2/3 and had two strikes on Mariah Johnson before she sent a solo home run over the fence to spoil the shutout.
Frenchtown would still hold on to advance with a 4- 1 victory.
