Thompson Falls (Mont.) lost its first game before roaring through the losers bracket with six consecutive victories to capture its first-ever Class B-C state softball championship.
In the middle of it all was senior pitcher Kyla Molzhon, who threw all seven games — an amazing 49 innings in approximately 30 hours. 
Kyla Molzhon, Thompson Falls (Mont.)
Photo courtesy of John Hamilton
She lost the opener, 3-2, to Conrad on Thursday before quickly bouncing back to eliminate Florence, 2-1, later that day. On Friday she mowed down five consecutive opponents: Shepherd 8-0, Deer Lodge 12-6, Loyola Sacred Heart 11-1 and three-time defending state champion Columbus 2-1 and 4-2.
During those seven tourney games, Molzhon allowed 10 earned runs, 39 hits, nine walks and struck out 59. For the season, she won a state-record 27 games (against three losses) and finished second in state history with 290 strikeouts. In 197 innings, she allowed 103 hits and 36 walks, and posted a 1.10 ERA.
"She has a really good riseball, screwball and knuckle changeup," coach Randy Pirker noted. "She also throws a dropball at about 58 miles per hour. She never lost a mile an hour all day long."
The 5-foot-6 standout, who is ticketed for Jamestown University, bats No. 3 in the lineup and "is probably our top hitter," Pirker added. She drove in the winning run during the 2-1 victory over Columbus.
"There was a sense of urgency after we lost that first game," Pirker said. "We hit more home runs during the tournament (seven) than we did during the whole regular season (four).
"This was probably one of the best defenses we’ve ever had. A good portion of our seniors have played together for 10 years. Two of our starters came from Noxon (a co-op arrangement)."
* Gloucester (Va.) senior shortstop Kristie Hoeffer has a state-record 191 hits and her season is not yet complete. She also tied the state record with seven hits in one game. Her batting average is .565.
* Jackson Prep (Miss.) senior Meredith Owen has been named the state’s Miss Softball by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. She batted a lofty .633 with 17 doubles, four triples and eight home runs and struck out just once. On the mound, she posted a 36-1-1 record for the Academy AAA state champs with a 0.37 ERA and 303 strikeouts in 187 1/3 innings.
* Kiersten Conwell struck out 22 as Chartiers-Houston (Houston, Pa.) defeated Brentwood, 3-2, in 12 innings.
* Nicole Sleith of Yough (Herminie, Pa.) fanned 20 batters during a 1-0, nine-inning victory over Thomas Jefferson for her 15th shutout this year.
* Milestone coaching victories: Jesse Huff of Hopkins County Central (Madisonville, Ky.) notched his 500th win, while Al Stewart (Randolph, Vt.) and Bill Core (Spring Lake of Mich.) reached No. 400.
* Mike Bradley has retired with 628 victories as softball coach at Collierville (Tenn.).
Gonzales 4-4 in title games
Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins, Colo.) senior pitcher Marco Gonzales defeated Ralston Valley, 9-4, in the Class 5A state championship baseball game to finish the year with an 11-0 record. He also slammed a three-run homer.The Gonzaga recruit achieved a very rare feat because it marked the fourth straight year that he started and won the state championship game.
* Eagleville (Tenn.) sophomore Ryan Hammonds struck out 16 to tie a state-tourney record for a seven-inning game en route to a 9-3 victory over Hancock County.
* Pekin (Packwood, Iowa) senior Dalton Stone struck out 19 and allowed just one hit during a 22-0 victory over New London. The Panthers led only 2-0 through five innings.
* Retiring coaches: Steve Ferreira, who has spent 43 years at Essex, is retiring as the winningest baseball coach in Vermont history (he has 523 wins entering the state playoffs). In Massachusetts, Peter Ambrose is retiring at Cardinal Spellman (Brockton) with 628 victories in 50 years.
Roesler wins 20 titles
Fargo South (N.D.) senior Laura Roesler suffered her first-ever state track meet loss over the weekend, but still finished her outstanding career with a North Dakota-record 20 individual state titles. The University of Oregon recruit won the 400-meter dash for the sixth year, the 200-meter dash and the 800-meter run for the fifth consecutive year. She set state records in the 200 (24.32 seconds) and 400 (53.25). However, her four-year 100-meter dash streak was broken by Minot freshman Morgan Milbrath.
* The Crouser family added to its legend during the Oregon state track meet. Gresham senior Sam Crouser became the first Oregon large-school athlete to win the shot put, discus and javelin since his uncle, Brian, turned the trick in 1980. His freshman sister, Haley, won the Class 6A javelin with the No. 2 throw in high school history, 161-06.
* Summit (Bend, Ore.) senior Kellie Schueler finished her outstanding career by winning 16 gold medals in track.
* Two rain delays watered down efforts during the 34th Golden South Classic in Orlando, Fla. MVP honors went to senior Roy Smith of Northwestern (Miami, Fla.), who won the 400-meter run in a national season-best 52.40, and to junior Octavious Freeman of Lake Wales (Fla.), who won the 100- and 200-meter dashes for the third straight year.
* Steve Kerzie, age 89, is set to work his 64th consecutive Minnesota state track meet as either a coach or official, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Goss picks Kentucky
Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) junior basketball star Bria Goss has made a commitment to the University of Kentucky, according to the Indianapolis Star. She will be among favorites next year to be named Indiana’s Miss Basketball. The 5-10 guard averaged 15.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists as a junior, helping the Giants to win their second straight Class 4A state title and stretch their winning streak to 58 games.
* Tony Kimbro Jr. is returning "home" for his senior basketball campaign, according to Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier-Journal. The 6-6 standout played his freshman year at Manual (Louisville, Ky.) before spending the next two seasons at Christ School (Arden, N.C.). He will finish this coming year at Jeffersontown (Louisville, Ky.).
* One of Minnesota’s premier freshman basketball players, 6-4 Riley Dearring, is transferring from Minnetonka Hopkins to DeLaSalle (Minneapolis).
* Former assistant Dwayne Mitchell is the new head boys basketball coach at national power Rice (New York). He replaces Maurice "Mo" Hicks, who has been hired as director of basketball operations by St. John’s University.
Deion Sanders Jr. at QB
Deion Sanders Jr., a transfer from Cedar Hill (Texas), has been moved to quarterback at Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas). Sanders was essentially a special-teams player as a sophomore, but he’ll be carrying a much heavier load as a junior.
* Jim Drewry of Booneville is retiring as the winningest football coach in Mississippi history. The 79-year-old Drewry compiled a 346-157-5 record with three state titles during 45 years at three schools.
Potpourri
* Southwest (Lincoln, Neb.) senior golf star Bryce Brown shot an 8-under-par 134 to tie the state record and win Class A medalist honors. The Kansas University recruit also helped Southwest win the team title.
* Durham Academy (Durham, N.C.) senior Mollie Pathman has been named Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year. She had 29 goals and 10 assists this year, despite missing some action while playing on the U.S. under-18 national team. She has a 3.97 GPA and will attend Duke University.
* Jim Morgan has been named National Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and Wrestling USA Magazine. Morgan, who retired in February, coached for 25 years at Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.), where he compiled a 529-84-1 record with nine state team titles and six state duals titles.
