Troy bests Badgers, 14-6, 13-11

Amid flurries of snow, the Lady Trojans softball team was blazing hot at the plate, beating out-of-state opponent Bonners Ferry 14-6 and 13-11.

Troy’s only senior, Breanna Opland, went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and two triples, scoring four runs and batting in two more in the second game of the doubleheader.

For Head Coach Brendan Miller’s part, he sees a lot of potential from his youthful team.

“I saw the fact that we are hitting a lot better than expected,” he said. “We still need to do a little bit of work on fielding.”

The team, by and large, is new to varsity softball experience. Some, like Opland, Caitlin Johnston and Brenna Garrison, return from last year’s squad. But with eight freshmen, youthful exuberance will be Troy’s biggest wealth.

Freshman Hailey Peterson pitched a complete game, striking out nine batters in six innings. She allowed only three hits and two earned runs.

She started to lose a bit of control in the sixth inning, but with the nearly freezing weather, that’s more than understandable. 

To add to her debut, Peterson batted 3-for-3 with two singles and a triple. 

The Lady Trojans nearly forced a mercy-rule shortened game in the first matchup, but the Lady Badgers were able to get three quick outs to strand Troy runners in scoring position. 

Bonners Ferry pitcher, junior MaKenzie Carle, struck out 11, but allowed 11 hits and six earned runs.

The Lady Badgers, half of whom had never played softball, looked lost. However, even when the runs piled on in the first game, they still cheered and carried on.

Troy improved to 2-0.