Bravettes land trip to state softball

The Daily Inter Lake

The focus this week is the upcoming state tournament and not dealing with the pressures associated with winning a playoff series.

And that's a mighty big relief for coach Dale Beerman and his Flathead High School softball squad.

While five Western AA teams are preparing for playoff action this week to determine who goes on and who goes home, the Bravettes have two weeks to get ready for the crowning event of the season.

Flathead wound up earning the No. 2 seed and an automatic trip to the upcoming Class AA state softball extravanganza last Friday when Helena High beat Butte.

"We earned the No. 2 (seed) because we beat Helena High twice and Helena High beat Butte once," said Beerman.

That was the difference maker. It gave Flathead the No. 2 seed over Butte.

Flathead and Butte both finished 9-3 in league games.

Had Flathead, 14-5 overall, finished third, it would have hosted a playoff series (best-of-three) this week to determine a state qualifier.

"We've been in it the last two years," Beerman said of playoffs.

"How would you feel if you're hosting a state championship and you're not in it."

Helena Capital, 10-2 and 13-3, is seeded No. 1 and also automatically qualifies for the state tournament, which takes place May 24-26.

Butte ended up third.

Butte, 13-4, will host the winner of today's Missoula Hellgate vs. Missoula Sentinel contest on Thursday.

In the Western AA's other playoff game this week, Missoula Big Sky is at Helena High.

Those playoff winners move on to the state tournament.

"We had a good practice," Beerman said Monday.

"I brought seven kids up from the JV team. We did some situational stuff, live running. Then we hit a ton."

Flathead will face the No. 3 seed from the Eastern Division in the first-round of state tournament play, most likely at 4 p.m.

Flathed last year beat Missoula Sentinel and the year before Helena High in the playoffs to advance to state. Both times, the Bravettes won the first two games.

Western AA

Standings

League Overall

W L W L

*Helena Capital 10 2 13 3

*Flathead 9 3 14 5

Butte 9 3 13 4

Helena 7 5 9 7

Big Sky 5 7 9 11

Sentinel 2 10 3 17

Hellgate 0 12 2 17

* Automatic qualifiers for the Class AA state tournament in Kalispell May 24-26.