Trotters looking ahead

The Plains-Hot Springs Trotters softball team has had a season of growth, of getting to know their new coach and teammates better as they go.

Taking their cues from new coach Dani Crowe this season, the Trotters had a period getting-to-know-you-getting-to-know-me earlier on, but now seem to have settled into a solid softball rhythm.

Trending towards winning lately, the Trotters reeled off four straight victories last week, traveling to Anaconda and defeating the Copperheads 5-4 and 20-5 last Tuesday, May 4, then romped past Troy 21-6 and 11-0 in a pair of five-inning contests in Plains Saturday.

Still hoping to finish in the top three of the Western B-C and avoid a divisional tournament play-in game (and those play-ins will be played next Monday and/or Tuesday), those hopes will be riding on the Trotters' four games this week.

"We have gotten better and better each week, it has been a season of growth for us," Crowe said. "If we win out this week we could still be in but if we don't we are probably looking at a play-in game."

P-HS visits Missoula Loyola for a doubleheader Friday and then travels to Mission for another doubleheader with Mission-Arlee-Charlo Saturday. Florence and M-A-C seem to have the top two spots in the Western B-C locked up, but the No. 3 spot and the last remaining divisional bye into the tourney could be up for grabs.

A player herself in the Western B-C several years ago for the Deer Lodge Wardens (and then the first Montana girl ever recruited by the new University of Montana softball team after that), Crowe says the level of play has risen dramatically since she was in the game in high school.

"The whole league is strong, there are no easy outs in the Western B-C," she said. "It seems like every team has a few standout players now, and teams are better from top to bottom."

The Trotters had lots of heroes to choose from in their winning efforts last week.

In the 5-4 win over Anaconda, Faith MacGonagle lashed out two hits and drove in two runs, Izzy Butcher had three hits and a run scored and Carlie Wagoner added two hits and two runs scored.

Madison Elliott, Haylee Steinebach and Izzy Crabb all had runs batted in and Celsey VonHeeder picked up the pitching win, scattering six hits in seven innings while striking out 10.

In the 20-5 win over the Copperheads, Mykenzi Blood smacked three hits, scored twice and drove in six runs, Krystena Boes added three RBIs and Genna Descahmps, Butcher and VonHeeder two apiece.

Back on the diamond against Troy Saturday, the Trotters knocked around Trojan pitching for 20 hits in the first game.

Blood and Deschamps each drove in four runs, Butcher three, and Kaylah Standeford, Skylar Bergstrom and Steinebach two apiece in the 21-6 win.

Trotter pitcher Piper Bergstrom twirled a two-hitter at the Trojans in posting the 11-0 shutout in the second game.

VonHeeder drove in three runs, and Jolena Caldwell, Standeford and Blood two apiece to back Bergstrom's fine pitching. Standeford and Skylar Bergstrom each had three hits in that game, and McGonagle, Blood and VonHeeder two each.