Lady Loggers open season by winning 2 of 3

The last time Frenchtown High School pitcher Shelby Russ took the mound, she put together an exceptional pitching performance only to see Libby rally over the last two innings for a 6-5 victory in the Class A state title game.

Russ got another shot at the Lady Loggers on Saturday in Libby’s home opener and Frenchtown’s season opener. In a strong showing, Russ struck out 12 in a six-hit, 9-4 victory over Libby.

“Shelby is one of the best pitchers in any classification,” Libby coach Dean Thompson said about Russ, who had to be helped off the field in last year’s finale after injuring her leg during an attempt to tag Nickole Lapka at home plate.

Russ was also one of three Frenchtown players to collect three hits on a pleasant afternoon at Remp Field. Thompson said it was the first time the Broncs had traveled to Libby for softball.

“When we get together in these early-season games, it’s good to see teams from other parts of the state,” Thompson said. “When you see 1 vs. 2 face off, it’s kind of fun.”

Leading 7-5 through five innings, the Broncs knew they had to finish strong to prevent the Loggers from a repeat of last season’s thrilling finish. Frenchtown padded its lead in the top of the sixth when Russ scored on an error. Then in the bottom of the sixth, Russ mowed down the Loggers 1-2-3 – all on strikeouts – to kill any momentum Libby might’ve had left in the tank.

The Lady Loggers tied the game in the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Alysha Martin. No. 2 batter Amber Grubham had reached on a walk, took second on a passed ball and came around to score on Martin’s two-bagger to right field.

Frenchtown countered with three runs in the second, however, with the big blast coming off the bat of none other than Russ. She hit a two-RBI double to left-center to give Frenchtown a lead it would never relinquish.

Libby made some noise in the bottom of the third to get back to within 4-3. Martin hit a two-out single to right and later scored on a Candace Hendrickson single. Jordan Refsland, who had also reached on a single, scored on the same play, although it went down in the books as a steal of home plate. Frenchtown’s defense didn’t throw the ball into the infield right away, Refsland challenged and sprinted home before the Broncs could adequately react.

After Frenchtown went up 7-3, the Lady Loggers countered again in the bottom of the fourth. Taylor Barton blasted a triple down the right field line that skipped all the way to the fence. She then scored on a Kat Wilson groundout.

Libby cut the deficit to two in the fifth when Martin reached on an error and came around to score on a Hendrickson groundout. But that would be it for the Loggers as Frenchtown recorded nine straight outs to end the game.

Taylor Armstrong, sophomore, went the distance for Libby and allowed 13 hits and three walks while striking out six.

“Taylor’s throwing well … she played really well,” Thompson said of his young hurler, who beat Whitefish in Libby’s opener the previous evening.

At the plate, Martin went 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. For the Broncs, Russ, leadoff speedster Erin Maxted and DH Megan Farmer each had three hits. Russ’s linescore ended up at 3-for-5 with three runs and four RBIs with a home run and a double. Her blast came with one on in the top of the fourth.

Libby (1-0, 2-1) plays next on Thursday at home against Flathead out of Kalispell. A pair of junior varsity games will be played on the home field on Friday against Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

Libby 11, Timberlake 10

The Loggers scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull out an 11-10 victory over Timberlake, Idaho, in the team’s second game on Saturday afternoon.

Grubham hit a walk-off, two-RBI double to left center to end the game. Alexis Hageness and Barton scored on the play.

During the seventh, Libby sent seven batters to the plate while collecting five hits.

Grubham and Hendrickson each went 3-for-4 to lead Libby offensively. Lapka, Jaime Gilden, Hageness and Luscher each had two hits for the Loggers, which had 16 as a team.

Sarah Orr started at pitcher and Armstrong relieved in the fourth. Armstrong allowed four hits, walked two and fanned one.

Libby 17, Whitefish 7

(5 innings)

The Loggers opened the season in grand style with a mercy rule victory at Whitefish on a cold Friday evening.

Libby scored 11 runs over the first two innings and pounded out 15 hits in the 17-7 victory. Grubham and Hendrickson each had three hits while Lapka, Martin, Barton and Wilson each had two in the rout. Lapka’s evening included a double, triple and two RBIs, Barton had three RBIs and Wilson also had a pair of runs batted in.

Armstrong got the win on the mound. Whitefish managed seven hits off Armstrong with Hailey Mortensen and Shannon Holmes each collecting two.

Libby 17, Whitefish 7

Friday at Whitefish

2B–Lapka, Grubham 2, Hendrickson, Wilson, FauntLeRoy, Mortensen 2, Holmes. 3B–Lapka. WP–Armstrong 1-0. LP–Sharpe 0-1.

Frenchtown 9, Libby 4

Saturday at Libby

2B—Martin, Russ, Klucewich, Farmer 2. 3B—Barton. HR—Russ. WP–Russ 1-0. LP–Armstrong 1-1.

Libby 11, Timberlake 10

Saturday at Libby

2B–Lapka, Grubham 2, Hendrickson, Barton, Hageness. 3B–Gilden. WP–Armstrong 2-1. LP–Allred.

Note: For a full boxscore on Libby-Frenchtown and expanded linescores on the other games, see Wednesday’s edition of The Western News.