Championship Hitters
Yellow Jackets Win Girls’ Softball League Tournament
The Wolf Point girls’ softball squad earned the northeastern Montana championship during the eight-team major tournament held in Plentywood.
The Yellow Jackets knocked off Plentywood, 9-5, in the tournament’s title contest on Wednesday, June 30. Wolf Point went through the tourney undefeated.
Highlights of the game included a home run by Kylie Rodenberg and a double by Katelyn Macdonald.
Wolf Point opened the tourney with a victory over Medicine Lake/Froid on Monday, June 28.
The Yellow Jackets then downed Plentywood by an 11-9 final in the second round.
The contest was even at 5-5 until Wolf Point struck for four runs in the third inning. A RBI single by Mahala Moran highlighted the frame.
Plentywood battled back with three runs in the fourth to pull to 9-8.
Wolf Point’s Macdonald opened the fifth with a walk and scored on a grounder hit by J’Elle Garfield. A single by Rodenberg drove in Sierra Hamilton for an 11-8 lead.
Plentywood scored a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Wolf Point earned the 11-9 victory.
In a battle of two solid clubs, Wolf Point edged Bainville by a 9-8 final in the next round.
Bainville gained a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Elsie Wilson singled and came around to score for the game’s first run.
A single by Garfield knocked home Macdonald to pull Wolf Point to 3-1 in the bottom of the opening inning.
Bainville then accounted for five runs in the top of the second for an 8-1 advantage. A single by Hailey Berwick knocked home Wilson with the first run. A single by Lakyn Rabbe drove in two more runs for Bainville.
Rabbe then crossed the plate with a head-first slide to keep the Bandits’ inning going. Micah Pippenger walked and later scored on a wild pitch for an 8-1 margin.
The Yellow Jackets responded with five runs in the bottom of the second. Jazmin Gorder and Moran scored on a wild pitches for the first two runs of the rally.
An infield hit by Macdonald scored Adeia Erickson. Brenna Blount and Macdonald later crossed the plate on wild pitches.
Wolf Point came a run closer when Moran came home on a wild pitch to cut the gap to 8-7 in the third inning.
The Yellow Jackets moved ahead with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Rodenberg walked, stole second and came around on errors for an 8-8 game. Moran tallied on a wild pitch to put Wolf Point in the lead.
Bainville’s Wilson doubled with two outs in the final frame, but Moran struck-out the game’s final batter.
In the minor league tournament, Wolf Point earned one victory. Wolf Point downed Culbertson by a 9-8 final.
