The Veterans Memorial Softball Classic came to an end on Saturday in Belgrade, but not before the Havre High Blue Ponies players made their mark against Montana’s best.
Team Navy, for which Camille Keeley contributed and was represented in memory of Fire Controlman Third Class Robert V. Mylan of Billings, MT, went (3-0) in play and (2-0) on Saturday. Against Team Army, Navy rolled (9-1) and then defeated pitcher Elle Verploegen and outfielder Jersi Morse, (9-7).
The matchup that everyone on the Hi-Line wanted to know about was Keeley playing against on Verploegen and Morse. In the top of the third inning with her team down a run, Keeley sacrifice bunted, but was able to reach base on an error. She scored on a triple two batters later to give her team the lead, which they would never let up.
Verploegen came in to pitch during the third inning and was able to mow batters. She even got the matchup of facing Keeley in the top of the sixth and struck her out on four pitches. In the bottom of the inning, Verploegen singled to start a rally. She was lifted for a pinch-runner, for which Morse grounded into a fielder’s choice, stole second, and scored on the very next play to tie the game at six.
Dramatically, the Coast Guard took the lead, (7-6) in that inning, but Team Navy came back in the top of the seventh to push three runs home and win the game. Verploegen’s final line in that game was 4.1 innings pitched, five hits, two earned runs, and five strikeouts on 72 pitches.
Verploegen and Morse’s Coast Guard Team, which was played in memory of Damage Controlman Third Class Nathan Bruckenthal of Stony Brook, NY, ended up finishing with the most wins in the tournament with four.
Congratulations to those two individuals on completing their high school softball careers. Verploegen is off to the University of Mary in North Dakota to continue her softball journey, while Morse won’t be far as she will be playing softball at Dickinson State.
