Libby girls 'pitcher' perfect in Butte
The Lady Logger’s softball team came home from the Laverne Combo tournament on Friday and Saturday in Butte with a perfect 4-0 record.
After a tough loss at Frenchtown on Thursday night, Libby didn’t have any time to lick their wounds having their first game on early Friday afternoon against the Glendive Red Devils.
In the first inning Glendive put up three runs on Khalyn Hageness before Libby inserted Hannah England. England held the Red Devils scoreless the rest of the game, while striking out 13, and the Lady Loggers earned a 4-3 win.
Devon Gallagher racked up two RBIs on two hits and helped pull the Lady Loggers even with a homerun in the third inning. Gallagher also got on base in the fifth inning with a single.
Libby pushed another runner across home plate in the bottom of the sixth inning to get the one-run victory.
Mahalah Wedel went 2-2 at the plate and Staci Regh was 1-3 with a double.
In their Friday evening game, Libby squared off against the Fergus Golden Eagles. In a game shortened by the mercy rule, the Lady Loggers put away Fergus in the fifth inning with an 11-2 victory.
The Lady Loggers took command of the game in the first inning behind a pair of RBI singles by Mahalah Wedel and Auria Benefield. A handful of wild throws by Fergus’ pitcher helped Libby take a 4-0 lead into the second inning.
Abby Ennenga played a solid game at the plate, going 2-3, driving in one run and crossing home three times. Ennenga also smacked her first homerun of the season in the game, but it wouldn’t be her only one of the tournament.
Hannah England stifled the bats of the Golden Eagles, allowing no earned runs on four hits and no walks over five innings. England sent nine batters to the bench with strikeouts.
At the end of day one, the Loggers had two wins, no losses, a pair of home runs and England had 22 strikeouts. Not a bad start.
On Saturday morning at 10:45 a.m., the Lady Loggers faced the Park Rangers of Livingston. Another game resulted in another home run and another victory for Libby.
Although Libby had nearly double the number of hits as Livingston, they required a go-ahead homerun from Dayln Germany in the sixth inning to squeeze out a 5-4 win.
Hannah England found her way out of eight tough situations during the game, none tougher than in the bottom of the seventh. Ahead two runs in the inning, Livingston scored one run before England forced a fly out to put an end to the game.
England struck out 13 and walked two over the course of seven innings.
The Dillon Beavers provided the last obstacle between the Lady Loggers and a perfect weekend of softball.
Sophomore Abby Ennenga provided a spark for Libby in the game, going 2-3 in the game and rocketing her second homerun over the two-day tournament. She singled in the third inning and homered in the fourth.
The teams both scored one run in the first inning before a three-run third inning put the Loggers ahead for good. Dillon answered with one run scored in the fourth and fifth inning each, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Lady Loggers scored another three runs in that span.
Getting the win on the mound for Libby was Khalyn Hageness. Over the five-inning game the right- hander put away four batters by strikes and didn’t record any walks.
Next, Libby faces conference foe Columbia Falls at home on Thursday at 6 p.m. In the always competitive northwest A Division, it’s a must win game for the Lady Loggers. Columbia Falls earned a 7-3 win the last time the teams battled.
After Columbia Falls, the girls will host Polson in another must-win conference game at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 15 in the last game of the regular season. Both teams beat the girls earlier in the season.
The state tournament, should the Lady Loggers qualify, is May 21 - May 23 in Anaconda.