Troy Lady Trojans reach state softball tourney for first time

Ellah Wallace’s three-run double broke an 8-8 tie in the fifth inning, and the Troy Lady Trojans went on to defeat Thompson Falls 12-8 in the third-place game at the Western B softball divisional Saturday.

The win avenged a 7-5 loss to the Blue Hawks in their tournament opener. The Lady Trojans (18-7) won their next three games, all by four runs, and will head to the State B tournament — along with divisional champion Florence, Mission-Arlee-Charlo and Thompson Falls —   for the first time. Glasgow hosts the event beginning Thursday. 

Florence beat MAC 13-3 in Saturday’s championship. 

Troy 12, Thompson Falls 8

According to information in the Daily Inter Lake, Wallace came around to score Troy’s 12th run on a groundout and a two-out error by the Blue Hawks. 

Wallace finished with two hits and five RBIs for Troy. Jenika Meyer had three hits and scored three times and Addy Fisher had two hits, three RBIs and three runs scored as well. Tana Grant had three hits and Ellie Borgmann drove in two runs. 

In the circle, Leslie Gravier came on with the bases loaded in the fifth.  Gravier allowed a sacrifice fly and Robinson’s double, then retired eight of the last 10 batters faced. She fanned two in three innings and worked a 1-2-3 seventh. 

Troy 12, Plains 8

Halle Wallace homered and drove in three runs and the Lady Trojans rallied after giving up five runs in the first inning to the Trotters.  

Ellie Borgmann’s two-run single in the first inning started the comeback; Kirsti Jellesed’s RBI double helped in the second and Wallace’s two-run shot in the third inning put Troy up 6-5. 

In the sixth inning, Troy answered with four runs. Halle Wallace, Ellah Wallace and Leslie Gravier all hit RBI singles in the sixth. 

Addy Fisher scored three times for Troy. Gravier had two hits and also threw a complete-game four-hitter. She allowed six walks and four earned runs, fanning seven. 

Troy 16, Three Forks 12

Once again the Lady Trojans’ opponent scored five first-inning runs and once again it didn’t matter. 

Tana Grant tripled and drove in four runs while Gravier added a double, a triple, drove in three runs and scored twice; Jellesed had a double and RBI as Troy combined eight hits with eight walks issued by Three Forks pitchers. 

Grant’s three-run triple tied the game 5-5, highlighting a six-run inning for the Trojans. She scored on Halle Wallace’s grounder and Troy had its first lead. Wallace came up big again, hitting an RBI single to break a 7-7 tie in the fifth inning; three batters later Gravier drove in three with her double, putting her team up 12-7. 

The gap grew to 15-7 on Grant’s RBI single in the fifth, and 16-7 when Gravier tripled and scored on Fisher’s sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.