Best-of-three series set for Thursday afternoon

It all comes down to one day for the 2025 Butte High softball team.

The Bulldogs will head to Missoula to take on Sentinel in a best-of-three playoff series against Sentinel. The winner advances to the Class AA State tournament, which is May 22-24 in Great Falls. The winner gets an early jump on summer.

The first game begins at 1 p.m. The second game will be played at 3, and the third will start at 5, if necessary.

The Bulldogs and Spartans split the regular-season series, with each team winning a hotly-contested game at home. Butte High beat Sentinel 7-4 April 7 in Butte. The Spartans returned the favor with a 6-4 victory over the Bulldogs May 1 in Missoula.

Both teams finished at 7-7 in Western AA, but the Spartans got the tiebreaker for the home playoff series. Butte High went 7-13 overall, while Sentinel finished at 10-10.

The Bulldog offense seems to be humming as Butte High heads to the postseason. The Bulldogs scored 22 total runs as they split games with Helena Capital and Missoula Big Sky.

Butte beat Capital 10-1 Thursday at Stodden Park before falling in 14-12 shootout Saturday at Big Sky.

Outfielders Mattie Stepan and Gracie Jonart each drove in three runs to lead Butte High’s 10-hit attack in the win over Capital. Stepan, who has been on fire late in the season, belted a home run, a double and a single in the win.

Leadoff hitter Reese Johnson added a triple. Stepan scored three runs, while Johnson and Ashlinn Mullaney each scored twice. Catcher Gracie Ferriter joined Jonart with a two-hit game, while Mullaney and Madisyn Swanson each hit a single.

Johnson drove in two runs, while Ferriter and Kendallyn Schad each drove in a run. Avery Barsness and Ally Godbout joined Ferriter with one run scored.

Mullaney fired six solid innings for the win. She struck out four, walked two and allowed just one hit. The run she gave up was unearned.

Hard-throwing eighth grader Brea Henderson struck out two in a perfect inning of work.

Sadie McQuinn, a second baseman with deep roots in the Mining City, homered, and Sara Bjornson drove in five runs to lead Big Sky in Saturday’s battle. Bjornson also pitched two and two thirds innings of relief to get the win.

Mullaney hit two doubles and a single while driving in a pair and scoring three times for the Bulldogs. Johnson went 3 for 4 with four RBIs. Swanson smacked two singles, while Ferriter, Stepan, Jonart and Schad each hit one. Jonart registered three RBIs.

Ferriter, Schad and Swanson scored two tines. Jonson, Jonart and Allie Becker also scored.

Ally Godbout worked a walk in each game.

Central girls close season at Combo

Butte Central did not qualify for a play-in game in Softball. The Maroons, though, did show some promise for the future as they went 2-2 at the LaVerne Combo Invitational Friday and Saturday at Stodden Park.

Central fell 14-7 to Frenchtown and knocked off Hardin 10-2 on Friday. On Saturday, the Maroons dropped an 8-6 thriller to Libby and pasted Browning 17-2.

BC closed the season at 5-13 overall and 2-8 in Southwestern A play. The Maroon do not have a senior on the roster. The team is comprised of three juniors, Izabel Lopez, Arika Stajcar and Sophia Gelling; four sophomores, Chloe Wright, Brynlee Armstrong, Sawyer Svejkovsky and Marly Mansanti; eight freshmen, Evyn Smith, Kenzie McQueary, Kodee Badovinac, Cambri Campbell, Natalie Osterman, Olivia Scott, Braelynn Schelin and Zayonna Otherbull; and one eighth grader, Carolyn Lopez.

McQueary, Otherbull and Smith each poked a pair of hits in the win over Hardin. Stajcar joined McQueary and Otherbull with a double.

McQueary belted a home run against Frenchtown, while Schelin, BC’s workhorse in the pitchers’ circle, added two hits.

McQueary and Scott added two hits against Libby. Schelin and McQueary hit doubles.

McQueary and Stajcar each had a two-hit game in the rout of Browning. That included a double. Armstrong added a double in the win.

Bulldogs roll Bighorns, get help

A week ago, Butte High’s postseason hopes in baseball were on life support. This week, the Bulldogs control their own destiny.

That comes after the Bulldogs (9-8) beat up on Lone Peak for a 10-1 victory Monday at a rainy-and-cold 3 Legends Stadium. As the Bulldog offense rolled in the cold, Livingston rallied for a 9-8 win over East Helena.

That means Butte High will qualify for a play-in game if they beat Missoula Sentinel at home on Thursday and then win at Livingston on Friday. (Note: The Livingston game was moved to Friday on Wednesday morning.)

If Butte High wins both games, the Bulldogs will play a play-in game Saturday at Billings West.

Tocher Lee and Matthew Donaldson paced the offence, each with a four-hit performance, to back up a solid pitching outing by Lucas Harris-Huerta in the win.

Harris-Huerta used 100 pitches to fan eight batters and scatter seven hits in the win.

Lee went 4 for 5 with two triples, four RBIs and three runs batted in. Donaldson went 4 for 4, and Karsen McEwen hit a double and a single.

The Bulldogs also got singles from Will Stepan, Tegan Duffy, Gunner Bushman and Kodye Kjersten.

Kjersten knocked in two runs, while Stepan, Duffy and McEwen each knocked in one.

Butte High got solid infield defense around the horn from Donaldson, Lee, Evan McEwen and Karsen McEwen, while Kjersten, Stepen and Logan Carden handled the outfield in the wind.

Behind the dish, Bushman held own the Lone Peak running game.

Ebe Grabow tripled and scored on an Oliver McQuire single for the Bighorns.

Thursday’s game was moved back to 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs will honor their five seniors — Lee, Stepan, Donaldson, Karsen McEwen and Harris-Huerta — and their parents before the game.

Maroons pick up a pair of wins

Butte Central does not have postseason hopes. The Maroons, though, closed their season with a pair of victories.

Central rolled to a 16-1 win over Townsend Thursday at 3 Legends Stadium. A day later, they went to Belgrade to beat Lone Peak 5-3. The Maroons close the season at 6-10 and winners of three of their last five games.

The Maroons used 11 hits to roll past Townsend in the rout. That included four extra-base hits — triples by Kelton Berger and Kelton Keene, and doubles by Connor Kachmarik and Marcus Ballan.

Jean went 3 for 3, while Trapper Stajcar, Beau McGree, Hugh O’Brien, Jack Nagle and Coy Campbell to give starter Gunnar “Goo” O’Brien more than enough support. Goo pitched the distance in the game. That was called by the run rule after four innings. He fanned four and scattered four hits.

At the dish, O’Brien worked four walks and scored three runs.

The Maroons rallied for three runs in the top of the fifth inning to overtake the Bighorns in Belgrade.

BC did its damage on just four hits, two of which came off the bat of O’Brien. Kean and Aiden Ossello also singled for the Maroons. McGree, O’Brien and Kean drove in runs.

Berger pitched the distance, giving up two earned runs in the win. He struck out two, scattered eight hits and worked around three walks.

BC coach Richie O’Brien credited the play of McGree at catcher for keeping the many Lone Peak base runners from scoring.

Tennis teams head to divisionals

Butte High and Butte Central’s tennis teams will head to postseason play this week.

The Bulldogs head to Missoula for their divisional, which will run Thursday and Friday. The Maroons will be in East Helena for the Central A Divisional.

Central played at the Fergus Invitational Friday in Lewistown. Results from that tournament have not been provided.

Butte High, meanwhile, took on Helena High and Helena Capital Saturday at Stodden Park.

On the boys’ side, the Bulldogs fell 7-1 to Helena High and 8-0 to Capital. Tashi Hanley won in straight sets against Helena for the lone Butte High boys’ win against the Bengals.

Helena’s girls beat Butte High 7-1. The Bulldogs fell 5-3 to Capital.

Against the Bruins, Murphy Sullivan won in straight sets at No. 3 singles for the Bulldogs. Teammate Allissa Pennock won by forfeit.

Ayva Gerry and Reena Hubber teamed for a straight sets win at No. 3 doubles.

 Chloe Jewell and Sienna Bradley picked up a huge No. 1 doubles win against Helena High. That victory came in straight sets.

Butte High coach Shawndee Gratton said that Jewell and Bradley will be the No. 4 seed in doubles at the divisional tournament. He said Sullivan will be No. 4 in singles.

On the boys’ side, Gratton said Matthew Weldon and Josh Shrader will play with the non-seeded players.

“It should be a good showing at divisionals,” Gratton said.

Sam wins three at Last Chance

Butte High senior Sam Henderson won three events Friday as the Bulldogs wrapped up the regular season at Belgrade’s Last Chance Qualifier meet. (Results)

The meet was the last before the Bulldogs host the Western AA Divisional meet Friday and Saturday at the Charlie Merrifield Track inside the Gene Fogarty Complex.

His victories in the 110-meter hurdles, high jump and long jump led the Bulldog boys to first place in the four-team meet with 61 points. Gallatin finished second with 49 points, while Bozeman followed with 43.5 and Belgrade scored 27.5.

Gallatin won the girls’ title with 50 points. Bozeman was second at 47, followed by Belgrade at and Butte High with 36.

In all, six Bulldogs claimed individual titles. Camden Houchin, Cohen Andrews, Sophia Houchin, Brityn Stewart and Peyton Trabert also brought home first-place finishes.

Henderson surpassed qualifying standards in all three events. Of course, the future Montana Grizzly already blew past those weeks ago.

He ran the 110 hurdles in 15.0 seconds, cleared 6 feet, 4 inches in the high jump and leapt 47-0 in the triple jump.

Camden Houchin, a junior, won the 3,200-meter race with a personal record of 9:56.08. That eclipsed the qualifying standard, which he had already beat.

Andrews, a junior, qualified for state with a leap of 21-1 ¼ in the long jump. That is a personal record. Teammate Tocher Lee placed second at 20-10 ¼.

Junior Ryan Hanson jumped to second in the high jump, clearing 6-2, and third in the long jump, with a mark of 20-8.

Senior Sam Sampson took second in the 100, senior Dylan “Bobby” Bache placed second the 400 with a personal record, junior Jacob Galle took second in the 110 hurdles, and senior Braydon Pierce placed second in the javelin.

The Bulldogs got third-place showings by Preston Jensen (200), Jaeger Hansen (javelin), and Mason Leber (pole vault), a fourth-place showing from Miner Lee (200), and fifth-place performances from Bradey Doyle (400), Karson Pumnea (javelin) and Ryan Popovich (high jump).

Butte High’s boys won the 400-meter relay and placed second in the 1,600 relay.

Sophia Houchin, an eighth grader, won the 800-meter race with a personal record of 229.75.

Stewart won the javelin with a mark of 126-3, and Trabert cleared 9 feet to win the pole vault.

Freshman Penelope Luebke took second in the 300 hurdles with a personal record of 55.29, and sophomore Cadence Graham finished third in the 400 and fourth in the 100 hurdles. She posted PRs in both events.

Senior Dylan Bartoletti took third in the 100 and sixth in the 200.

Butte High got fourth-place performances from Saege Grey (100), Milee Stillwagon (1,600), Mylee Demarais (shot put) and Emma Johnson (discus).

Butte High’s 1,600-meter relay team ran to second place.

Maroons win relay in Livingston

A victory in the 400-meter relay by the Butte Central boys highlighted the regular-season finale for the Maroons Saturday at the Joe Tacke Invitational in Livingston. (Results)

Justus McGee, Keefer McGree, Patrick Stimatz and Danny McCarthy teamed to run the short relay in 45.03 seconds for the win. McGee, McGree and Stimatz are seniors, while McCarthy is a sophomore.

McGee also posted three top-four individual performances. He jumped 19-4 ½ to take second in the long jump. He also took fourth in the high jump and 100-meter dash.

McGree placed third in the 300 hurdles.

Michael Peck placed third in the shot put and seventh in the discus, posting a personal-best mark in each event, while Parker Kellicut took fourth in the 110 hurdles and sixth in the 300 hurdles.

On the girls’ side, Caden Tippett placed fourth in the shot and sixth in the discus to lead the Maroons. She hit PRs in both events.

The Maroons will head to Polson for the Western A Divisional meet Friday and Saturday.