Bravettes blank Bulldogs

Hash pitches Flathead to opening win

The shivers were understandable on a cold, blustery evening, but Meagan Hash and her Flathead teammates were anything but shaky.

The Bravettes used timely offense, crisp defense and Hash's brilliant pitching performance to pull away from Whitefish 10-0 on Tuesday at Conrad Complex in the nonconference softball opener for both teams.

Hash allowed just three base runners and one hit while fanning 11 Bulldogs, taking pressure off a Bravettes lineup with little varsity experience.

Center fielder Heather Haegele secured the mercy-rule win in the fifth inning when she blasted a 1-1 pitch to deep center for a triple, scoring Hash.

Though she was cruising in the circle, Hash had no problem bringing the game to an early end on a night where staying warm proved the biggest challenge of all.

"I just have to thank Heather for that," Hash joked. "She's the one who just parked it. She did a very good job.

"It was nice to make that final run, but it was definitely a team effort."

Six players combined for Flathead's seven hits, and six Bravettes drove in runs. Catcher Alana Handford went 2-for-2 with a double, while Hanna Burton's third-inning single plated two runs as Flathead built an 8-0 lead.

Second baseman Kendra Bennett ripped an RBI triple in the second inning to put Flathead on the board. Shaina Evans and Alisha Lingle singled for the Bravettes, who committed no errors.

"We needed to play a game," Flathead coach Dale Beerman said. "They didn't have the jamboree (in Great Falls) last weekend, so we just needed to play.

"Kendra Bennett played well today - she's gonna be a good one for us, I think. Shaina Evans played well. Alana Handford caught well today, hit the ball pretty well."

Whitefish also showed plenty of promise and surprisingly few jitters, considering it took the field Tuesday for just the second time this spring. The Bulldogs bussed down to Conrad Complex on Monday night for their first complete practice, because their home fields are still under snow.

The Bulldogs committed just three errors, and veteran catcher Desiree Clarke gunned down her first attempted base stealer in the first inning. Shortstop Hailey Mortensen prevented a no-hitter with her infield single in the second inning.

"We had a couple, three errors throwing the ball around a little bit, but they just haven't had that chance yet," Bulldogs coach David Dachs said. "We've got a couple young players, and they did all right.

"We still need to work on our batting - that's the biggest thing. But, hey, let's give it to Meagan Hash - she's a good pitcher. I see lots of good potential there, we just need to get out and work."

Torey Ost started in the circle for Whitefish, recording three strikeouts and allowing only four hits through three innings before giving way to Carolyn Sharpe.

"It could have been a whole lot uglier," Dachs said. "Our pitchers did really well, I thought. Torey pitched a pretty good game there for awhile, and then Carolyn came in - she's our new pitcher for the varsity this year - and she did all right.

"Those are the kinds of things we're looking for - those individuals to step up like that."

The freshman Lingle entered the game in the third inning to run for third baseman Megan Olszewski, who suffered a knee injury while rounding first after a Whitefish error.

"I can't afford to lose her," Beerman said. "She was out last year because of her other knee, but her dad's the best knee surgeon in the country, so hopefully it will work out.

"We're not real deep. We only have one returning varsity player, and that's Heather Haegele."

The Bulldogs begin Western A play on Thursday with a 3:30 p.m. visit to Columbia Falls.

The Bravettes play host to Libby on Thursday at 6 p.m. before entertaining Great Falls C.M. Russell and Great Falls High in a Saturday doubleheader. CMR was the Class AA state champion last spring.

"Develop a little bit of depth," Beerman said of the Bravettes' priority in nonconference games. "We're not going to be real deep, but we had a freshman girl come in tonight and play third, and she got a base hit - Alisha Lingle. Talk about confidence.

"We didn't have a whole lot of kids out. Off our freshmen team last year, there was 14 kids - we have two. They had 12 go to Glacier, but that's all right, we'll survive. I tell people, 'We'll be all right.'"

Whitefish 000 00 - 0 1 3

Flathead 035 11 - 10 7 0

Torey Ost, Carolyn Sharpe (4) and Desiree Clarke and Hailey Mortensen. Meagan Hash and Alana Handford. W - Hash (1-0). L - Ost (0-1).

WHITEFISH (0-1) - Adele FauntLeRoy 0-2, Clarke 0-1, T. Ost 0-1, Shannon Holmes 0-2, Mortensen 1-2, Taylor Ybarra-Brunty 0-2, Devyn Ost 0-2, Kristi Whisler 0-2, Camille Williams 0-1, Sharpe 0-1.

FLATHEAD (1-0) - Heather Haegele 1-3, Becca Felde 0-1, Catie Costa 0-1, Shaina Evans 1-3, Handford 2-2, Kendra Bennett 1-2, Megan Olszewski 0-0, Alisha Lingle 1-1, Justine Hayes 0-2, Emily Jones 0-0, Hanna Burton 1-2, Hash 0-3.

RBIs - WF 0, FHS 7 (Burton 2, Haegele, Handford, Bennett, Lingle, Hayes). 3B - WF 0, FHS 2 (Haegele, Bennett). 2B - WF 0, FHS 1 (Handford). SB - WF 0, FHS 3 (Handford, Olszewski, Lingle). SAC - WF 0, FHS 1 (Olszewski).