Troy softball continues growth season

With two wins from their five most recent games, Troy High School’s softball team continues to battle with defensive errors and hitting, but the difference is night and day between the team they have now and the one they started the season with less than a month ago.

While the team still falls apart from time to time when a play goes south, the confidence, the intentionality and decisiveness the players show are a 180-degree flip from only a short time ago.

In batting, as well, the difference is pronounced. Sophomore Montana Rice racked up yet another home run against Bonners Ferry’s junior varsity team Thursday, and freshman Talise Becquart added one of her own.

During Troy’s 23-8 win over Drummond Saturday, Becquart was to repeat that feat, along with junior Cami Finley.

No one is more aware of the difference players have made in such a short time than Head Coach Keith Haggerty. Becquart is one player he said that he and assistant Coach Brad Hanson saw potential in from the start of the season.

“They keep working,” he said. “We’re still at a point where we’re building a lot of confidence in the kids.”

Yet, keeping things together and holding focus is still something the players have to work on, as much with success as with failure.

“They just have to stay with it and keep working and stay with it mentally,” he said.

In the case of a small error or missed pitch, the coaches are working with the players to not throw out the good with the bad because they begin second guessing, he said.

“Something doesn’t go the way they expected it to go, and they immediately think they have to change something again,” he said. “They aren’t keeping the success going because they’re worried they did something wrong.”

Against Bonners Ferry, Haggerty put in a number of freshmen who don’t usually get playing time in the varsity games, he said. In a lot of ways, though — from age to experience — the entire Troy team is much like a junior varsity team.

Yet, those players who have played throughout the season are starting to show it, even if in small ways. The hesitation from catching a ball to throwing it is down noticeably for several of the team. Becquart and sophomore Izzy Ramirez have developed a good partnership in the infield, and watching junior Kaylee Tunison steal her way home on more than one occasion, an observer might think the team’s catcher has been training as a sprinter.

On third base, Rice was a veritable wall of “nope” in the final inning against Bonners Ferry, tagging out two runners mid-sprint to third. Yet, the improved fielding from the rest of the team is also what made sure Rice had the ball in time, something that hasn’t always been happening for Troy in similar plays.

“Our fielding, they’re coming around a little more, but there’s a lot more they can do,” Haggerty said. “We’re pleased, definitely pleased with them.”

Thursday, May 3

Bonners Ferry 23, Troy 20

B 120 5(10)0 1 4 - R:23 H:9 E:5

T 213 252 4 1 - R:20 H:15 E:13

AB-H, R

B: Lillian M 4-0, 2; Anna B 5-1, 2; Maleya F 5-0, 1; Sydney B 5-1, 2; Riki C 6-3, 2; Hannah B 4-1, 3; Dina C 3-0, 3; Paisley S 2-1, 5; Alleah J 5-2, 3

T: Kaylee Tunison 5-2, 4; Izzy Ramirez 6-2, 3; Cami Finley 3-1, 2; Haley Guinard 1-0, 1; Montana Rice 5-2, 3; Tristyn Winebark 5-1, 1; Talise Becquart 6-4, 2; Harlee Huisentruit 6-1; Emma Anderson 1-0; Mazzy Hermes 3-1, 1; Paige Chapel 2-1

Batting: 2B - Riki C, Paisley S, Alleah J 2, Tunison; 3B - Tunison; HR - Becquart, Rice; ROE - Lillian M 2, Maleya F, Sydney B, Riki C, Dina C, Alleah J 2, Ramirez, Rice, Tunison 2, Winebark; RBI - Anna B 3, Maleya F, Riki C, Hannah B, Dina C, Paisley S, Alleah J 3, Becquart 5, Finley, Huisentruit 2, Ramirez 2, Rice 3, Tunison

Pitching: W - Anna B 8, .519 S%, 15 H, 20 R, 10 ER, 9 SO, 10 BB, 2 HR; L - Hermes 6, .560 S%, 6 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 3 SO, 4 BB; Winebark 2, .481 S%, 3 H, 15 R, 5 ER, 2 SO, 4 BB

Friday, May 4

Game 1

Plains 11, Troy 1

T 000 001 - R:1 H:4 E:2

P 101 234 - R:11 H:12 E:0

AB-H, R

P: Stacy Gray 3-2, 2; Sydney Jackson 4-1, 1; Mackenzie Elliott 4-1, 2; Kassidy Kinzie 4-3, 2; Natalie Deschamps 3-1; Jessica Thompson 4-3, 1; Danielle Graham 1-1, 1; Sage Jackson 2 R

T: Kaylee Tunison 3-1; Izzy Ramirez 3-1; Montana Rice 3-1; Mazzy Hermes 2-1, 1

Batting: 2B - Gray 2, Kinzie 2, Rice; HR - Thompson; ROE - Elliott; RBI - Gray, Kinzie 2, Deschamps, Thompson 3, Ramirez

Pitching: W - Thompson 6, .702 S%, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 9 SO, 0 BB; L - Hermes, 5.2, .639 S%, 12 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 3 SO, 2 BB, 1 HR

Game 2

Plains 14, Troy 0

P 720 23 - R:14 H:13 E:0

T 000 00 - R:0 H:1 E:7

P: Stacy Gray 4-2, 2; Sydney Jackson 3-1, 1; Mackenzie Elliott 4-1, 2; Kassidy Kinzie 3-2, 1; Natalie Deschamps 2-1, 3; Sage Jackson 3-1, 1; Jessica Thompson 3-2, 1; Dakota Butcher 3-1, 1; Kenzie Angle 3-2; Emma Morgan 1 R (in for Angle); Skylar Bergstrom 1 R (in for Kinzie)

T: Talise Becquart 2-1

Batting: 2B - Angle 2; ROE - Gray 2, Elliott, Kinzie, Deschamps, Butcher; RBI - Jackson, Kinzie, Thompson 3, Angle, Jackson, Butcher

Pitching: W - Kinzie 5, .688 S%, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 9 SO, 2 BB; L - Mazzy Hermes 4.2, .583 S%, 12 H, 13 R, 4 ER, 0 SO, 4 BB

Saturday, May 5

Game 1

Troy 17, Drummond 4

AB-H, R

T: Talise Becquart 3-0, 2; Paige Chapel 4-1; Cami Finley 5-2, 1; Mazzy Hermes 4-2, 2; Harlee Huisentruit 3-1, 3; Izzy Ramirez 4-1, 2; Montana Rice 5-0, 1; Kaylee Tunison 5-2, 3; Tristyn Winebark 5-3, 3

Batting: 2B - Tunison, Winebark 2; 3B - Finley, Hermes; RBI - Tunison 2

Game 2

Troy 23, Drummond 8

AB-H, R

T: Talise Becquart 5-2, 3; Paige Chapel 3-2, 2; Cami Finley 3-2, 4; Mazzy Hermes 1 R,

Harlee Huisentruit 1-0, 2; Izzy Ramirez 3-3, 3; Montana Rice 5-5, 3; Kaylee Tunison 4-1, 2; Tristyn Winebark 2-2, 3

Batting: 2B - Ramirez, Rice 2; 3B - Finley; HR - Finley, Tunison