BUTTE — Polson pitcher Katelyne Druyvestein had quite a day.
First, the junior out-dueled Laurel's Ella Crookston in the undefeated semifinal to hand previously unbeaten Laurel a 1-0 nine-inning loss and send the Locomotives into the third-place game where they fell to Frenchtown.
Then, in the championship against Frenchtown, Druyvestein took a line drive shot to the right knee and went down in a heap of agony.
"Threw it right down the middle, that was a mistake," Druyvestein said. "I knew I still had to get up and get going. And I think adrenaline just took over."
She got back on her feet, and got it done.
Druyvestein delivered another solid performance from the circle as the Pirates used a quick start and a four-run sixth inning to defeat the Broncs 9-3 to claim the 2021 State A softball championship on a toasty Saturday afternoon at Stodden Park in Butte.
With the win, Polson collected a Class A-record eighth title, all of which have been earned since the year 2001.
The Pirates (23-1-1) also become the first team not named Belgrade to hoist the State A trophy since 2016 with the Panthers claiming the Class AA title Saturday in their first year at that tournament.
"We came off a tight game with Laurel and came back and just got it done," said Druyvestein. "And tried to keep up as best we could in the heat."
Polson senior Josie Caye opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run that gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead. They would never trail.
Polson led 3-0 by the end of the second inning. Frenchtown got an RBI from Abby Faulhaber in the third inning to make it 3-1, but the Pirates never really let the Broncs back in the game.
"It means a lot," said Polson head coach Jami Hanson, who is in his third year leading the Pirates. "Especially since these girls have been working so hard. I thought we would have put together a great season last year already. And to have that taken away and now this being here, it feels very special."
