COLUMBIA FALLS — Polson battled back to win in the final inning, while Columbia Falls won a pair of games before losing to Lewistown to end their season.

Down 4-3 heading to the final frame, the Lady Pirates erupted for 11 runs, highlighted by Samantha Rensvold’s 3-run homer to beat the Laurel Locomotives 14-4 and advance further into the winner's bracket at the State A softball tournament Friday.

After losing to Laurel 6-5 Thursday, the Wildkats beat the Lockwood Lions 12-9, won a slugfest over the Dillon Beavers 20-10, before losing to the Golden Eagles 10-7.

With the win, Polson advances to play the Frenchtown Broncs (19-3) Saturday at 10 a.m.

In Friday’s other games; Frenchtown beat Lewistown to send them into the consolation bracket, 6-4. Billings Central beat East Helena 27-2, downed Hamilton 12-2 and knocked out Laurel 9-3. Dillon shutout Stevensville 9-0 and Hamilton beat Havre 10-0.

After Laurel plated two runs in the sixth inning to take their first lead of the game 4-3 off starter Rensvold, things were looking bleak for the Lady Pirates as they were down to their final three outs. But Rensvold got the last laugh.

Sophia Wisecup led off the bottom of the sixth inning for Laurel (19-8) with a double before Emerson Gunther was intentionally walked. Rensvold retired the next two batters before Harper Anderson laced a 2-run single to take the lead.

Rensvold immediately responded with a leadoff single in the seventh to start the flood of hits in the inning from the Lady Pirates (18-5-1).

Opal Nash doubled to score Rensvold to tie the game at 4, Sierra Perez gave her team the lead with a single before Jaliyah Pierre cleared the bases with a double and the game flipped to 8-4.

They plated another run on Ahri Rushing’s single before Rensvold smoked a ball over the centerfield fence to break the game open 12-4. Three batters later, Nash delivered a 2-run homer for her third hit of the game.

“I choked up on the bat and just wanted to put the ball in play since I had two strikes on me, but I put a good swing on it and it carried out,” Rensvold said.

“We showed how much we want to win and how much grit we have. Teams can get up on us, but they better watch their back, because were coming back at you.”

Rensvold took the circle for the Lady Pirates and pitched a complete game allowing five hits, one walk and four runs, three of them earned. She struck out four. Both her hits and three RBIs came in the seventh inning when it mattered most.

Olivia Jore led the Lady Pirates with four hits and scored three times. Perez walked twice, drove in three and made an impressive diving catch in centerfield.

“Our team has that no doubt attitude where we keep battling through,” Polson coach Jami Hansen said. “It’s a fun group of girls because they are never out and we have our bulldog in the circle (Rensvold) where you’re not going to take the ball out of her hands. That kind of attitude she has is what our team has.”

Down 10-5 heading into the final inning, the Wildkats plated two runs and had the tying run on first base before their rally fell short and the two-time defending State champions were knocked out of the postseason.

The Wildkats (17-8) started off hot, scoring four runs in the first inning, two of them on Bella Mann’s 2-run single. The Golden Eagles (19-6-1) scored two runs in their half of the inning, three in the third, four in the fourth as the Wildkats offense went cold and found themselves in a 9-4 hole.

The Wildkats got back on the board in the fifth inning with Onnikka Lawrence’s solo home run, but they couldn’t find the big hit they needed in the seventh.

“I am super proud of our team, we are very gritty,” Wildkats coach Rick Lawrence said. “We won a lot of our games in the fifth inning or later, manufacturing runs, we played well this year, and I am proud of them for leaving it all on the field. That is a very good team we played.”

Kiya Foran provided the pop for the Golden Eagles, launching a 3-run homer in the fourth inning to make it 8-4. She finished a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBIs and four runs scored. Kloe Southworth collected three hits and drove in two.

Bella Mann led Columbia Falls with three RBIs. Lawrence finished with two hits and two runs scored and Addy Bowler collected three hits and scored a run out of the leadoff spot.

Mann hit a grand slam to break the game open 20-7 and finished with three hits and six RBIs in a slugfest game that featured six total home runs, two of them by Dillon’s Kylie Konen.

Annika Reid started the scoring for the Wildkats when she blasted a 2-run home run to centerfield to score Lawrence and take a 2-0 lead.

Adyson Creighton matched Reid’s 2-run homer with one of her own in the first inning before Konen hit her first home run to give the Beavers (16-6-1) the lead 3-2. Konen’s second homerun was a majestic shot that went well past centerfield to extend their lead to 5-2 in the third inning.

The Wildkats immediately responded with five runs in the fourth inning to retake the lead, highlighted by Mann’s 2-run double. They plated seven more runs in the fifth and six more in the sixth to take a 20-7 lead.

Kaitlyn Konen’s three run shot in the sixth inning cut the lead to 20-10, but the next batter was retired to end the game in six innings due to the run rule.

Lawerence finished with four runs scored and a pair of RBIs, Alexa Friske added three hits, and three runs scored for the Wildkats.

Reid connected on two home runs and finished with three RBIs and the Wildkats were able to hold off the Lions comeback attempt in their first game Friday morning.

Reid homered in the second and fourth innings, her second home run extending the WIldkats lead to 10-3. Tayler Lingle’s RBI single in the fifth inning made it 11-4 before the Lions clawed back.

Ana Plutt hit a solo homer for Lockwood (14-9), and an error cut the lead to 11-6. Dylan Fraker Fox hit a solo home run as part of a 3-run sixth inning before Ella Brandstetter pitched a clean seventh to close out the game.

Lingle finished with three hits and two runs scored. Friske tripled, scored twice and drove in one. Sydnee Burke added two hits and two RBIs.

Gianna Haney hit a grand slam to cap off a 9-run fourth inning and the Rams kept their title hopes alive with their third victory of Friday in the consolation bracket.

Lydia Todd collected three hits and scored a run out of the leadoff spot for the Rams. Courtney Hofer hit a 2-run single and Avery Nelson pitched a complete game allowing three earned runs and striking out three.

All the damage came from the 1-3 batters for the Locomotives. Kourtney Kraft, Samantha Wisecup and Emerson Gunther all drove in a run. Gunther collected two hits, one of them a solo home run.

Allene Johnson drove in four runs on three hits, one of them a 3-run homer in the fourth inning as the Rams scored all of their runs in the final four innings.

Gianna Haney scored a run on an error in the bottom of the sixth inning to end the game early due to the run rule. Alyy Kowalczyk and Emirie Hastings each hit home runs, both of them 2-run shots.

Mariah Johnson and Thea Jackson each drove in a run for the Broncs (11-13-1). Coco Vachon and Kennidi Cooper each collected a hit and scored a run.

Todd drove in five runs on five hits, including a homer and the Rams plated 17 runs in the second inning to end the game in three innings due to the run rule.

Hofer went 3-for-3 with a home run and drove in seven to lead the Rams. Kowalczyk homered, collected three hits and six RBIs.

Josie Jerome and Sara Dearing collected the only hits for the Vigilantes (5-13). Dearing doubled and drove in both runs; Keely Hamilton scored a run after drawing a walk.

Kaitlyn Konen hit a home run and added another hit as the bottom third of the order collected five of the Beavers’ 10 hits in their first game Friday morning.

Kinzy Creighton tripled and doubled for the Beavers and reached base in all four at bats, scoring twice. She also took the circle to start the game and didn’t allow a hit, striking out six in three innings.

Tymber Barnes added two hits, two RBIs and pitched the final four innings, allowing two hits and no runs, walking one. Stevensville finished the season 13-11.

Mel Race hit two doubles, drove in two and scored two runs as Hamilton won their first game Friday in just five innings due to the run rule.

Dawsyn Ekin added a double and scored two runs out of the cleanup spot for the Broncs.

Mariah Johnson took the circle pitching a complete game, allowing four hits and striking out five. She added a triple and two RBIs out of the leadoff spot.

Bree Hanson, Camille Keeley, Brenna Hanson and Heydon Olson each collected a hit for the Blue Ponies.

Kiera Southard hit a 3-run homer as part of a 4-run first inning for the Golden Eagles before the offense was shutout the rest of the game and the Broncs scored two in the fifth inning to take the lead for good.

Tied at four heading into the fifth inning, Ryan Lucier led off the inning with a solo blast over the right field wall to give the Broncs (22-3) their first lead of the game. Lucier also took the circle, pitching a complete game allowing two earned runs and striking out 12.

Anna Elam led the Golden Eagles with two hits and drove in one. Kayla Jensen took the loss after pitching six innings, with four earned runs on four hits.