SPORTS

AA Softball: CMR rally falls short vs. Big Sky

MISSOULA The road to a state title, if it happens for C.M. Russell's softball team, will go around the long way.
The Rustlers fell to Missoula Big Sky, 6-5, in morning action at the Class AA state tournament at Fort Missoula Softball Complex Friday.
CMR had the tying run 60 feet away with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Savanna Voyles was thrown out at home trying to score on a passed ball.
Voyles notched a one-out single to keep a Rustler rally going after Caitlin Soltesz had reached second on an Eagle error, also with one out. Myla Robbins, who homered twice earlier in the game, drove in Soltesz and moved Voyles to third with a sharp single up the middle to bring the Rustlers close. The passed ball came on the first pitch to cleanup hitter Courtney Schroeder.
The Rustlers led 2-0 heading to the fifth inning, but Big Sky, aided by free passes and a Rustler error, scored all six of its runs in top 5.
CMR rallied in the sixth when Robbins slammed a two-run homer down the left-field line with no outs, but nothing else came of the inning.
Quinn Hartman started in the circle for the Rustlers but left after she hit her second batsman in the fifth inning. Courtney Schroeder limited the damage, inducing a pair of RBI groundouts, but the damage was done. Schroeder set the next six batters down in order to keep CMR in the game.
The Rustlers play at 2 p.m. against the winner of the noon loser-out contest between Great Falls High and Helena Capital.

Missoula Big Sky 6, Great Falls CMR 5

Big Sky000 060 0 – 6 7 2
CMR101 002 1 – 5 9 2

Macey Newbary and Morgan Johnson. Quinn Hartman, Courtney Schroeder (5) and Katie Huisman. WP – Newbary. LP – Hartman.

MISSOULA BIG SKY – Newbary 1-3, Kiley Snow 1-3, Johnson 1-3, Jaime Schafer 0-2, Kendall Mooney 0-4, Kendall Rauk 1-3, Chelsea Todd 1-3, Quincy Preston 2-3, Frankie Schwenk 0-3.

C.M. RUSSELL – Savanna Voyles 2-4, Laura Poitra 1-4, Myla Robbins 3-4, Schroeder 2-3, Hartman 0-3, Huisman 0-3, McCall Enott 0-3, Brenna Bushard 0-2, Caitlin Soltesz 1-3, Julianna Gonzales 0-1.

2B – Poitra. HR – Robbins 2. RBI – Newbary, Rauk, Preston, Schwenk, Voyles, Robbins 3.