Polson pounds out 18 hits, tops Whitefish 17-6 in conference opener
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There was a brief early hiccup that proved costly, but during the rest of Friday's softball game in Whitefish the Lady Pirates were firmly in control. Polson improved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in conference with a 17-6 win over the Lady Bulldogs in bone-chilling cold and wind that made the game downright miserable to close out.
Polson went up 3-1 in the top of the third inning but fell behind 3-6 after Whitefish scored five runs in the bottom of the third. Pitcher Shay Duford opened the inning with a series of four walks, then Polson's defense made its one error of the game. The net result was two Whitefish runners walked in and three more scored before Polson closed out the inning, trailing 3-6.
"Shay lost her composure a little and walked four people. But, I knew she could work out of it and stuck with her," Polson head coach Larry Smith said.
Smith went out to talk to her on the mound to help the freshman settle down.
"She needs to learn to work through that ... She didn't like the strike zone very much, but I told her that's uncontrollable. I told her to just pitch the ball over the plate and have some trust in her defense," Smith explained, adding with a chuckle, "Then, of course, the very next pitch we bobbled the ball (on defense) and Shay just looked over at me ... I couldn't help but smile."
But Smith was pleased with how his pitcher and defense closed out the inning, then responded with four big innings of offense, scoring 14 runs to turn the game into a runaway victory.
"After that (third) inning we responded really well. We just exploded on them (on offense) and our defense really toughened up. And Shay real got strong, striking out six more batters after that inning," the coach said. Duford ended up with nine strikeouts and four walks, giving up six hits.
"Those rallies always seem to start with a walk and an error and we had both in that inning. They made us pay for it, but the way our gals came back from it was great," Smith said.
Polson banged out 18 hits over seven innings,
Leadoff batter Staci Benson hit 3-for-6 with a whopping five RBIs.
"Staci hit the ball well for us and set the table for us," Smith said.
Number two batter Kodi Woods racked up four hits on six at-bats, plus stole five bases.
"Kodi Woods had an extremely great game. She's been doing what I want her to do ... being very aggressive on base," coach Smith said. "She stole five bases and that's the first time we've had that in five years since Strohm Fouty played for me."
Everybody in the lineup hit, including a 2-for-4 performance by Sallie Sams, 2-for-5 hitting for Makalia Wilson, and a triple by Riley Kenney whose leadoff shot started Polson's seven-run rally in the fifth.
"We had a good combination of small ball and swingin' away. Kodi beat out a bunch of bunts, even when they were playing it ... that's a great sign for us," Smith said. Polson ended up with 10 steals in the game, too.
"Their catcher is a very good catcher with a strong arm but our kids are very aggressive and use their speed," Smith noted. "Both pitchers were pitching very well. But we had some real terrible elements, probably the coldest game I've ever coached. Almost all the girls had numb hands. To stand in there and hit the ball the way they did is a tribute to them wanting to play at the top of their game."
Cold, numb hands finally caught up with Polson's defense in the seventh inning when the sure-gloved Benson fielded a grounder at shortstop. When she unleashed her throw to first base, the ball sailed up high and kept going.
"I thought the ball was being thrown over the first base dug out ... By then, Staci couldn't even feel her fingers they were so numb," Smith explained. "But then the play of the game had to go to Makalia Wilson at first base. She jumped up in the air, caught the ball and when she came down swung and tagged the girl as she was speeding by her."
Overall, Smith said he was very pleased with both his offense and defense.
"We had a bit of troubled in that third, but then we came back and exploded on them," Smith repeated.
Smith is hoping for some warmer weather for a string of three games this week that carry over into next Tuesday.
The Lady Pirates' Tuesday game in Columbia Falls was cancelled due to snow and will be rescheduled. Today (Thursday), Polson hosts Hamilton for a non-conference game, with junior varsity playing at 3 p.m. and the varsity going at 5. Then on Tuesday, April 20, Polson will host Ronan for a conference game, with the JV playing at 3 and the varsity going at 5.
Summary
Polson 17, Whitefish 6
Polson 021 272 3–17 18 1
Whitefish 105 000 0–6 6 8
Shalaina Duford and Kayla Duford. Kate Wehrli and Hailey Mortensen. WP - Duford (2-0). LP - Wehrli (2-2).
POLSON - Staci Benson 3-6, Kodi Woods 4-6, Kayla Duford 1-4, Riley Kenney 1-4, Sallie Sams 2-4, Makalia Wilson 2-5, Ashley Johnson 1-4, Colleen Jacobson 1-1, Kylie Knutson 1-2, Heidi Rausch 1-1, Shay Duford 1-3.
WHITEFISH - Kate Wehrli 1-4, Emily Stiver 1-3, Madison Tveidt 1-3, Hailey Mortensen 1-4, Bailey Tveidt 1-3, Hanah Lewis 0-2, Emma Baldonado 0-2, Shannon Holmes 1-3, Madisen Cross 0-3.
2B - M. Tveidt. 3B - Kenney. RBIs - Benson 5, Woods, Kenney, Sams 2, Wilson, Rausch, Jacobson, S. Duford; M. Tveidt, Mortensen, Lewis, Baldonado.
