GREAT FALLS — Billings Senior’s red-hot bats stayed hot Friday night in Great Falls, as the Broncs punched their ticket to the Class AA state championship game with a commanding 14-5 win over crosstown rival Billings West in the undefeated semifinal.
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Senior’s offense erupted for the third straight game, tallying 15 hits and 14 runs to bring their tournament total to a staggering 43 runs scored in just three contests. Madi Ban led the way with a 3-for-4 performance, driving in a run and scoring three times. Octavia Meyer and Viennah Meyer each added two hits and two RBIs, while Braella Jennings crushed a home run and collected three RBIs of her own.
The Broncs wasted no time jumping on West, scoring three in the first and never looking back. Rayvin Fisher earned the win, scattering seven hits and five runs over six strong innings while striking out seven. Riley Tryan shut the door with a clean seventh inning and two strikeouts.
West managed just seven hits in the loss, with Tatum Bush and Quinn Freitag each recording multi-hit games. Bush also homered and drove in two runs, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Broncs’ relentless offense.
Scoring Summary:
- Billings West: 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 — 5 R, 7 H, 5 E
- Billings Senior: 3 1 1 5 1 3 x — 14 R, 15 H, 2 E
Billings Senior advances to Saturday’s noon state title game as the only unbeaten team left in the tournament, while Billings West will try to fight back through the consolation bracket for a rematch.
QUARTERFINAL RECAPS
Billings Senior 14, Bozeman Gallatin 4
Billings Senior left no doubt in its State AA quarterfinal matchup, overwhelming Gallatin 14-4 in five innings on Friday morning to advance to the undefeated semifinal in Great Falls.
The Broncs exploded for 10 runs in the first two innings and never looked back, finishing the game with 17 hits and 13 RBIs. Madi Ban led the charge with a 3-for-3 day at the plate, including a home run and six total bases. Viennah Meyer also went deep and drove in two runs, while Octavia Meyer racked up four hits and three RBIs in a dominant performance.
The Raptors briefly responded with a three-run third inning, powered by an Addison Biele home run, but couldn’t slow down the Broncs' relentless attack. The Broncs have now scored 29 runs in 11 innings through two games at the State AA tournament.
Riley Tryan earned the win for Senior, tossing five innings and striking out five while allowing just four earned runs.
Scoring Summary:
- Billings Senior: 5 5 2 1 1 — 14 R, 17 H, 1 E
- Gallatin: 0 1 3 0 0 — 4 R, 7 H, 4 E
Billings West 10, Belgrade 6
In a back-and-forth battle filled with offense, Billings West emerged victorious with a 10-6 win over Belgrade on Friday morning at the State AA softball tournament in Great Falls. With the win, the Golden Bears punched their ticket to the undefeated semifinal, where they’ll face crosstown Billings Senior at 5 p.m.
Billings West jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning before surrendering six unanswered runs to Belgrade. The Bears then scored the next seven runs to take the lead and ultimately the win. Tayten Abrams powered the offense, going 2-for-2 with a home run, a double, and three RBI. Mielle Kavran and Tatum Bush also went deep for West, which finished with 10 hits and took advantage of three Belgrade errors.
Belgrade stayed within reach early, putting up a four-run second inning behind a Bailee White home run and an RBI double from Brooke Stump. But despite collecting six hits and drawing six walks, the Panthers couldn’t keep pace with the West bats.
Tatum Bush picked up the win in relief, tossing five dominant innings and allowing just one run while striking out eight. Olivia Mills took the loss for Belgrade, giving up 10 runs — six earned — on 10 hits in six innings of work.
Scoring Summary:
- Belgrade: 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 — 6 R, 6 H, 3 E
- Billings West: 3 0 3 0 3 1 x — 10 R, 10 H, 3 E
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