Dillon, MT – The Havre Northstars fell short trying to punch their ticket to the championship game against the Miles City Mavericks in a shootout 17-21.
Havre came out swinging, plating one run in the first inning before adding two more in the second to build an early 3-0 advantage. The Mavericks responded in the bottom of the third with a six-run outburst, erasing the deficit and taking a 6-3 lead.
The Northstars chipped away in the fourth, scoring twice to cut the margin to 6-5, but Miles City answered with a run of its own to carry a 7-5 lead into the fifth.
What followed appeared to be the knockout punch from Havre. The Northstars erupted for eight runs in the top of the fifth to reclaim control, surging ahead 13-7. Their pitching and defense kept the Mavericks off the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning, and Havre added four more insurance runs in the sixth to extend the lead to 17-7 with just six outs standing between the Northstars and a berth in the championship game.
Miles City exploded for 14 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, turning a 10-run deficit into a 21-17 advantage. Facing a four-run hole in the seventh, the Northstars were unable to mount another rally, bringing an end to an outstanding postseason run.
Offensively, Havre was powered by Archer Sawdey, who delivered a dominant performance at the plate by going 4-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Teegan Solomon and Maddox Keller also turned in strong performances, each collecting multiple hits while driving in runs.
Although the season ended one game shy of the championship, the Northstars have plenty to be proud of. Havre finished the 2026 campaign with a 36-18-1 overall record, posted an impressive 23-5 mark in conference play, and captured the 2026 American Legion Class A North District championship.
While the ending was a difficult one, the Northstars’ remarkable season laid the foundation for continued success. With a district title and one of the program’s strongest seasons in recent memory, Havre will look to carry that momentum into next year.
