The Pioneer Softball team won back to back games on Wednesday afternoon to advance to the Region XIII West Championship game in its first full season of competition.
Game 1 - Pioneers 8... Williston State 0 (5 Innings)
Pitcher Kelealani Waiau threw a 4-hit shutout and the Pioneers rode the bats of CF Autumn Porter and 3B Olivia Cook to a 8-0 win over Williston State in 5 innings. The victory moved the Pioneers to the loser out semifinal against Lake Region State for a spot in the championship game. Waiau struck out 4 and walked 2 Tetons in her 5 innings in the circle.
Porter and Cook did the majority of the damage at the plate as Porter was 3-3 with 2 RBI that included a single, double, and triple. Porter scored 3 runs and Cook was 2-3 including 2 home runs, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored. The Pioneers scored 2 in the 1st innings, 3 in the 3rd, and then finished the game with 3 more in the 5th.
Game 2 - Pioneers 9... Lake Region State 1 (5 Innings)
The Pioneers exacted a bit of revenge on Wednesday after falling to Lake Region in the tourney opener on Tuesday.
The MCC bats heated up in the 4th and 5th innings to make their way to the championship game with a 9-1 win in 5 innings over Lake Region State College.
Lake Region led 1-0 going to the bottom of 1st inning when LF Taylor Woolley led off the inning with a double. That was followed by a RBi double by CF Autumn Porter and Porter scored when Kelealani Waiau hit a line drive to shortstop but an error on the play scored Porter for a 2-1 lead. The Pioneers then took control in the bottom of the 4th when Waiau singled to right field. She reached 3rd on a bunt by 2B Tessa Della Silva and an error on the Royals. 1B Hazel Eaton hit a sacrifice fly RBI to centerfield for a 3-1 lead. DP Megan Toplovich hot bat continued with a RBI double scoring Della Silva. RF Reagan Harper then singledToplovich home and the Pioneers lead 5-1 going to the 5th.
In the clinching 5th inning, 3B Olivia Cook reached on an error and scored on a 2-run blast by Waiau. 1B Hazel Eaton and C Janie Nelson then smacked back to back Jacks for a walk-off 9-1 win and a spot in the championship.
Kassidy Kinzie earned the win with a 3-hit performance that included 5 strikeouts. She walked only 1 batter in 5 innings of work. Waiau was the story at the plate with a 2-3 performance with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.
Game 3 - Pioneers 8 ... Dawson 5
The MCC Pioneers scored 2 in the 6th for a 5-4 lead and then stretched the lead to 8-4 with 3 in the 7th to force a winner take all game on Thursday morning in Glendive. The Pioneers lost 4 times to Dawson in the regular season but battled toe to toe forcing Thursdays championship tilt.
Dawson took a 1-0 lead in the 1st but the PIoneers tied it in the 2nd on a Hazel Eaton sacrifice fly that plated Olivia Cook. C Janie Nelson then singled in Kelealani Waiau for a 2-1 lead. Dawson tied it up at 2 in the bottom of the 3rd. The seasaw affair saw the Pioneers go up 3-2 in the top of 4th when the Pioneers loaded the bases and pinch hitter Lilinoe Nihi was hit by a pitch forcing in a run. The Buccaneers then tied the game in the bottom half of the inning and took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 5th.
The Pioneers chipped away in the 6th when Della Silva singled and Eaton is hit by a pitch. Reagan Harper the came up huge with a 2 RBI double to center field giving the Pioneers a 5-4 lead. In the top of the 7th, Abby Johnson singled as did Autumn Porter. A 2-out RBI single by Della Silva gave the Pioneers a 6-4 lead. Hazel Eaton then cracked a 2-run double to right field and the insurance runs the Pioneers needed.
Kassidy Kinzie pitched a complete game victory by giving up 5 runs on 12 Dawson hits. Kinzie struck out 6 and didn't walk a batter in Miles 1st ever win over Dawson.
Della Silva was 3-3 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Waiau was 2-4 with 2 runs scored and were the only Pioneers with multiple hits in the game. The balance of the Pioneers line up was crucial as there were several timely hits through out the lineup.
The winner take all Region XIII West championship will take place Thursday morning at 10:00 AM in Glendive.