Broncs top rival Falcons

CONRAD - The Broncs are back on top.

Frenchtown did it the hard way on Saturday, but it recaptured the state Class B-C softball championship from two-time defending champion Florence. The title is Frenchtown's fifth in seven seasons. The Broncs won the first four B-C titles from 1996-99.

The two powers met three times on Saturday, with Frenchtown winning 8-1 in the second and decisive championship game.

Florence won the morning undefeated game 1-0 in nine innings over the Broncs. Frenchtown bounced back with an 8-1 win over Thompson Falls to earn the right to face Florence for the championship. Frenchtown won the first championship game 2-1.

"It was an emotionally draining day," said Frenchtown head coach Mark McMurray, whose team finished the season with a 25-4 record. "We were at the field at 7:30 (a.m.), played four games and, the girls never quit.

"The low point didn't even come after the loss. It came to us as individuals when errors cost us important runs. But as a group we picked each other up. The kids just kept plugging away all day and they finally came through. It feels great."

Florence (20-4) was two outs away from three-peating as state champs. With one out in the top of the seventh inning of the first championship game, Frenchtown all-state senior center fielder Anna Henderson smacked a two-run double to send the Broncs into the second championship game.

"Anna (Henderson) came though big time, stroking it clear to the fence" McMurray said. "It was a high moment with everybody screaming and hollering all over the place."

In the end, however, the title came down to each teams' pitching depth.

The ace pitchers - Frenchtown's Eileen Babon and Florence's Cassie Phillips - were phenomenal. Combined, they allowed only one run in 28 innings of work Saturday. But with their 14 innings of pitching expended, it was the work of Frenchtown freshman pitcher Ashley Block that proved the difference.

Block, the cousin of former Frenchtown all-state pitcher Annie Block, earned all three victories on Saturday.

"Block was outstanding," said McMurray. "To put a freshman in that situation, and she allows only four hits (in the second championship). That's an outstanding performance."

After Phillips used her innings, the Falcons went to freshman Kolbi Beneitone.

"I talked with the Florence coaches before the first game and we remarked that it was going to be freshman vs. freshman for the championship. Then Dani (Anderson), also a freshman who played designated hitter for us, gets the job done too - it's an amazing thing."

Anderson had a two-run double in the second championship game.

Thompson Falls, which won just seven games during the regular season, beat Huntley Project 9-4 in a morning loser-out game. The Bluehawks, who won five games at state, brought home the third-place trophy giving western Montana teams a trophy sweep. Thompson Falls finished 12-15.

Frenchtown 8, Florence 1: Block struck out seven and allowed only four hits and two walks, and the Broncs carried their late-inning hitting heroics from the first championship game into the second to pound Florence's bullpen. Anderson capped Frenchtown's three-run fourth inning with a two-run double to give the Broncs a 5-0 lead. Florence pitchers - freshman Kolbi Beneitone and junior Candace Craun - made two pitching appearances apiece and couldn't get any strikeouts while giving up eight hits and five walks. "The depth of our pitching and our crew proved the difference," said McMurray.

Frenchtown 2, Florence 1: Henderson smashed Beneitone's first pitch to the fence in left-center field for the magical two-run double with one out in the top of the seventh. Junior third baseman Tessa Looker, who singled, and senior right fielder Dawn Bick, who reached on an error, scored the tying and winning runs, respectively, on Henderson's double. Florence managed only one hit off of Babon and Block. The pitching aces - Phillips and Babon - finished their duel from the undefeated game by expending their maximum of 14 innings with a scoreless tie after the fifth inning. "Something has to be said about Phillips," said McMurray. "She shut us down for 14 innings. If the pitching rules were different, there would have been a different outcome." Craun singled and scored the game's first run for Florence with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. She advanced to second on a passed ball, then scored when Gillette overthrew first base.

Florence 1, Frenchtown 0:. To no surprise, the undefeated game was a showdown between pitching aces that lasted nine innings. Phillips allowed only one hit, while fanning 10. Lisa Hayes's run-scoring bunt single with one out in the bottom of the ninth ended the game and advanced the Falcons to the championship. Babon allowed nine hits and had six strikeouts, but it was her injured ankle that ultimately hindered the Broncs. "(Babon) was not mobile at all," said McMurray. "(Florence) kept bunting to take advantage of it and we weren't able to make the plays." Of the Falcons' nine hits, four were bunt singles. Babon fielded Hayes' game-winning bunt, but fumbled the ball while trying to make the throw to first base. Florence junior Megan Yuhas, who reached on a single and was sacrificed to second before senior right fielder Jessica DuBois singled her to third, scored the winning run. Hayes finished with three hits. DuBois and sophomore third baseman Angela Vandeburgh had two hits apiece to lead Florence.

Frenchtown 8, Thompson Falls 1: Block pitched five innings, allowed two hits and struck out seven in her first varsity start. Frenchtown sprayed 10 hits - with no one player accumulating more than one RBI. Junior left fielder Jerrilyn Savik, Gillette and Sherry each had two hits and an RBI to lead the Broncs.

Thompson Falls 9, Huntley Project 4: Gerstenberger allowed five hits over nine innings and the Bluehawks scored five runs in the top of the ninth. Juniors Erin Clark and Dacey Jedlicka, along with sophomores Brianna Stonehocker and Katie Holleran, each had two hits to lead Thompson Falls from the plate.

Second championship

Frenchtown 8, Florence 1

Ashley Block and Traci Gibbs. Kolbi Beneitone, Candace Craun (5), Beneitone (6), Craun (7) and Rachel Sullivan. W - Block (3-0). L - Beneitone (4-2).

FRENCHTOWN - Paige Lebsock 1-4, Jerrilyn Savik 1-3, Rianon Tiensvold 0-2, Dulcie Gillette 2-4, Aimee Sherry 2-3, Gibbs 2-4, Tessa Looker 0-3, Dani Anderson 1-1, Dawn Bick 0-1, Anna Henderson 0-1.

FLORENCE - Lisa Hayes 1-4, Craun 0-2, Beneitone 0-3, Sullivan 1-3, Haley Bradley 0-3, Angela Vandeburgh 0-2, Cassie Phillips 0-2, Nicole Stephens 0-1, Erin Dean 0-3, Jessica DuBois 1-3.

2B -Anderson, DuBois. 3B - Gillette. RBIs - Anderson 2, Savik, Sherry, Henderson, Lebsock, Sullivan.

First championship

Frenchtown 2, Florence 1

Eileen Babon, Block (6) and Gibbs. Phillips, Beneitone (6) and Sullivan. W - Block (2-0). L - Beneitone (4-1).

FRENCHTOWN - Lebsock 2-4, Savik 0-4, Tiensvold 0-3, Gillette 1-3, Sherry 0-3, Gibbs 1-3, Looker 2-2, Anderson 0-2, Bick 0-1, Henderson 1-3.

FLORENCE - Hayes 0-3, Craun 1-3, Beneitone 0-3, Sullivan 0-3, Vandeburgh 0-3, Bradley 0-2, Megan Yuhas 0-2, Dean 0-2, DuBois 0-2.

2B - Gillette, Henderson. RBIs - Henderson 2, Beneitone.

Undefeated game

Florence 1, Frenchtown 0

Babon and Sullivan. Phillips and Gibbs. W - Phillips (16-2). L - Babon (15-2).

FRENCHTOWN - Lebsock 0-4, Savik 0-4, Tiensvold 0-4, Gillete 0-3, Sherry 0-3, Gibbs 0-2, Looker 1-2, Anderson 0-2, Henderson 0-3.

FLORENCE - Hayes 3-5, Craun 0-3, Beneitone 1-4, Sullivan 0-4, Vandeburgh 2-4, Bradley 0-4, Yuhas 1-3, Dean 0-3, DuBois 2-4.

2B - Vandeburgh, DuBois. RBIs - Hayes

Loser takes third

Frenchtown 8, Thompson Falls 1

Block, Gillette (6) and Gibbs. Tanya Gerstenberger and Dacey Jedlicka. W - Block (1-0). L - Gerstenberger (9-12).

FRENCHTOWN - Lebsock 1-4, Savik 2-3, Tiensvold 1-3, Gillette 2-4, Sherry 2-4, Gibbs 0-3, Looker 1-3, Kellie Jones 0-1, Anderson 0-2, Bick 0-2, Henderson 1-2.

THOMPSON FALLS - Sierra Manfrey 0-2, Katie Holleran 0-2, Erin Clark 0-3, Jedlicka 0-2, Erikka Pirker 0-3, Brianna Stonehocker 1-3, Jennifer Lacey 0-1, Anna Ivers 1-3, Paige Taylor 0-3.

2B - Gillette 2. 3B - Savik. RBIs - Lebsock, Savik, Tiensvold, Gillette, Sherry, Looker, Henderson, Clark.

Loser takes fourth

Thompson Falls 9, Huntley Project 4

Tabitha Basil, Alicia Fanyak (9) and Tricia Loose. Gerstenberger and Jedlicka. W - Gerstenberger (9-11). L - Fanyak.

HUNTLEY PROJECT - Basil 1-3, Fanyak 1-2, Sunny Sifford 1-4, Anderson 1-4, Jesse Walter 1-4.

THOMPSON FALLS -Holleran 2-4, Clark 2-4, Jedlicka 2-4, Pirker 1-5, Stonehocker 2-5, Gerstenberger 1-3.

2B - Clark, Stonehocker.