Young players take to ballfield

Apparently, keeping their eye on the ball wasn't terribly important to the littlest softball players at the Amundson Sports Complex Friday evening, since most of them closed their eyes as the ball approached. Nevertheless, many still managed to get on base.

In the bottom of the last inning - the fifth - it looked like the Plains Trotters U8 team might make a come back from behind. With no outs and two on base, Ginger Nestor, the tallest player on the team, smacked a triple, driving in two runs. But on third Nestor stayed while Ronan 3 collected three outs and an 8-7 win. Haylee Steinebach of Plains served as umpire.

But it was the next day's game at the complex that the Trotters, sponsored by McGowan's Grocery, showed their stuff and claimed their second victory in a 16-7 triumph over Polson. The team took the lead early in the game and maintained it to the end, said Tonya Revier, who coaches the team with her husband, Jack Revier, and Sami Cavill. They had also defeated a Charlo team in their first game of the season and now have two wins and four losses. 

In the U8 division, a coach takes the mound, pitching to his or her own players. On Friday and Saturday, it was Jack Revier pitching to his batters. In addition, the U8 games go for only five innings and each girl gets five pitches, unless they foul on the fifth pitch. The Trotters have 12 girls ranging from 5-8 years old, including 7-year-old Palmer, the Reviers' daughter. "Our team is pretty young, so it's exciting to see all that they are learning," said Tonya, who has coached U10 and U12. She also noted that this is the first year of playing for most of the Trotters, which is why the coaches are focusing on basic fundamentals during practices.

"This is a great group of young ladies," said Tonya. "They have lots of spirit and so much potential. I'm excited to see how they develop over the next few years," added Tonya. "The girls are having a lot of fun this year. They are learning lots and all developing their individual talents at this point," she said. Tonya said the kids did great on Saturday. "They came out ready to play and have shown so much improvement already," she said.

The Plains Horses U10 girls, sponsored by Ripples Ice Cream Parlor, also played Saturday at the complex, taking on Ronan 2. In U10, the team provides its own pitchers, which were Briauna Kulawinski,  

Tia Bellinger, and Kenna Miller. Games go seven innings or one and a half hours, whichever comes first, but Trista Feist, who coaches with Kyle Brown and Ricki Kulawinski, said they have rarely gone even five innings in the four games they've played this year. This is the third year that the three have coached together.

In addition, an inning in the U10 division ends with three outs or a maximum five runs. Jake Kulawinski of Plains served as umpire and called strikes and balls, including calling his daughter, Briauna, out while she was trying to steal home. The Horses have 10 girls on the team, including Kendall Spurr, 7, who is also on the U8 team. 

"No wins yet but we have a young and inexperienced team who are learning a lot and have shown a lot of improvement. We are closing the gap more every game," said Feist, who added that they practice three nights a week, unless they have a weekday game. "We are learning all sorts of new stuff this year, including pitching, dropped third strike, base running, leading off, stealing bases, sprinting, batting, catching, and fielding plays," said Feist, president of the Plains Youth Softball Association and a board member of the Wildhorse Sports Association, the nonprofit organization responsible for the Amundson Sports Complex. 

The Horses started out a bit slow, scoring only three runs in the first inning while Ronan had five runs. Ronan had three losses and no wins at the start of Saturday's game. The Horses started on a comeback in the third inning, but when time was up, it was 16-12 Ronan. "They're a great bunch of girls and we really enjoy watching them learn and excel throughout the season," said Feist. Their next game is scheduled for Thursday, May 6. The Trotters' next home game is a double-header on Saturday, May 22, at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at the complex.