Day one of the 2024 GVO Memorial baseball Tournament took place in Three Forks on Friday afternoon. The Havre Northstars dropped two games to the Bitterroot Red Sox, (6-5) and Cody (WY) Cubs, (13-5) in five innings.
Game one was a heartbreaking way to lose for the Northstars. Both teams had no-hit performances through the first half of the contest with Colter Solomon eventually pitching five and two-thirds innings with a line of two runs, two hits, and four strikeouts with four walks. Havre exploded for three runs in the fourth inning and Bitterroot countered with two in the sixth inning. The Northstars scored some insurance with two in the top of the seventh inning to lead, (5-2). The Red Sox stormed back and would walk it off in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs, including the game-winning sacrifice fly. Right Fielder Terek Shipp and infielder Jevin Jenkins drove in two runs in the losing effort.
Game two served as the opposite of game one with the runs coming in bunches. Havre had multiple ties in the game at 4 in the third inning and 5 in the fourth inning, but couldn’t handle the Cody offense, which plated six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to enact the mercy rule. The Northstars did not play their defensive brand of baseball, committing six errors against the Cubs. Shipp was one of five players to have an RBI for Havre along with Solomon, shortstop Ezra Pyle, catcher Logan Kinsella, and left fielder Connor Essert.
Northstars coach Patch Wirtzberger wrapped up the weekend plans in a previous interview as the team will still be playing three more games in two days.
“It should be a very good challenge on Saturday,” Wirtzberger said. “Another good team from the south, the Dillon Cubs, who we don’t get to see very often.”
“And then a couple of familiar foes to end the tournament (in) the Gallatin Valley Outlaws and Lewistown Redbirds,” Wirtzberger continued.
The Northstars will play at the same times on Saturday as they did Friday with two new opponents: the Dillon Cubs at 1:30pm, followed by the Gallatin Valley Outlaws around 3:45pm.
