Trotters test MAC, Florence

PLAINS – Most of the necessary softball skills can be taught, but you just can't coach confidence.

Suffering through what coach Michele Bangen described as a crisis of confidence, Bangen and her Plains-Hot Springs Trotters dropped a doubleheader to visiting Florence in Plains Saturday, falling 6-3 in the first game and 16-6 in the second.

In other action last week, the Trotters split with visiting Mission-Arlee-Charlo (MAC), winning the opener 6-3 but losing 12-6 in the nightcap Friday, and defeated Thompson Falls 9-0 in Plains last Tuesday (April 30).

The Plains-Hot springs girls wrap up regular season play this week, playing a single game at Thompson Falls Friday and playing two in Troy Saturday. The Western B-C Divisional tournament play-in games are early next week and the Western B-C tourney will be played in Anaconda May 17-18.

Bangen thought her girls were their own worst enemies against Florence.

"We played with no confidence," she said. "We went into those games scared for some reason, and good teams like Florence are able to take advantage when you play like that.

"You can't coach confidence," she added, "and we will have to figure that out in the next few weeks if we want to realize our goals."

Not that a team should not respect a club like Florence as the Falcons have won the last three straight State B-C titles, and look like they could challenge for a fourth in a row, especially if their ace pitcher Shannon Byrne recovers from an ankle injury in time for the post-season.

"Florence is a very good team and we respect that," Bangen said. "But we are pretty good, too, and need to show up better for games with teams like this. We are as capable as anyone else, we just have to play like we believe that."

The Trotters seemed to have trouble with freshman lefthanded pitcher Kasidy Yeoman in the first game and fell behind 6-0 in the first three innings. P-HS broke through with a run in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth but could never truly threaten the lead.

The Trotters ended the game with no hits, although Syd Jackson did drive in a run. Senior Kassidy Kinzie and freshman Celsey VonHeeder shared the pitching duties for P-HS.

Kolbi Wood hit a home run and drove in three runs for the Lady Falcons, Kylie Kovatch had two doubles and another run batted in, Danara Greer hit two triples and Yeoman one.

The Trotters took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning before Florence came back to take control in the second game.

Sage Jackson rapped out three hits and drove in three runs to lead the P-HS offense in the second game, Natalee Deschamps hit a double, and Syd Jackson, Kelsey Standeford and Kenzie Angle each singled.

Emily Kinnaman belted out two triples and a double, driving in four runs for Florence, Danielle Zahn tripled and hit safely two other times, also driving in four runs, and Yeoman doubled twice and drove in three to pace the Falcons.

Against Mission-Arlee-Charlo the day before, Kinzie pitched the first game win besides hitting a run-scoring double and a two-run homer to pace the Trotters in that contest.