Glacier downs Spartans, Eagles

Wolfpack 4-4 in Western AA softball

The Daily Inter Lake

Glacier evened its Western AA softball record Thursday by defeating Missoula Sentinel 7-3 and holding off Missoula Big Sky 3-2 at Kidsports Complex.

"All in all, a huge day," Glacier coach Joel Bemis said.

"What's been hurting us is errors in the late innings, letting them (games) slip away from us. We got over the hump today."

Glacier pitcher Jesse Compton checked Sentinel on three hits in going the distance. She struck out six and issued just three walks.

"We played decent defense behind her," Bemis said.

Glacier (4-4 league, 5-8 overall) had just two errors in the game.

The Wolfpack scored once in the first and third innings and then pushed three runs across the plate in the fourth. They added two more in the sixth.

"We just chipped away at them here and there," Bemis said.

Brittney Brown and Brittany Franklin both had to hits for Glacier and two RBIs. Lindsey Hoffenbacker, 1-for-1, also drove in two runs.

"Between games, we told the girls we have to pick it up, jump it up a level," he said of the outing with Big Sky.

"Boy, did our girls ever (do that)."

Glacier rallied for three runs in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead on Big Sky. Compton opened the inning with a double and Brown followed with a single.

The Eagles added a run in the top of the seventh and had the tying run on first with two outs, but Compton registered a strikeout to end the game.

"We continued to play good defense, didn't get rattled," Bemis said.

Glacier had just one error in that game.

Megan Connolly, Zoey Pettit and Compton all had two hits in the finale. Glacier outhit Big Sky 9-7.

Glacier hosts Helena Capital and Helena High on Saturday starting at 11 a.m.

Glacier 7, Sentinel 0

Sentinel 000 000 0 - 0 3 2

Glacier 101 302 x - 7 6 2

Katie Focher and Morgan Gray; Jesse Compton and Brittany Franklin; W -Compton; L - Focher.

Sentinel - Baylee Jolliffee 1-4, Aleisha Gornick 1-3, Kara Landolfi 0-3, Riliey Cullip 0-2, Morgan Gray 0-3, Focher 1-3, Sarah Beccari 0-1, Libby Steigers 0-2, Natalie Egan 0-3.

Glacier - Brittney Brown 2-3, Franklin 2-2, Megan Connolly 1-2, Abby Connolly 0-4, Lindsey Hoffenbacker 1-1, Sabrina Kenfield 0-4, Zoey Pettit 0-2, Kristen Storle 0-1, Compton 0-2.

2B-Focher; RBIs-Brown (2), Franklin (2), A. Connolly, Hoffenbacker (2).

Glacier 3, Big Sky 2

Big Sky 100 000 1 - 2 7 2

Glacier 003 000 x - 3 9 1

Christy Selway and Kelsey LaVaute; Kendra Bouley, Compton (3) and Franklin. W - Compton. L - Selway.

Big Sky - Briggett Plenger 2-3, Shelby Quamme 0-3, Selway 0-4, Sarah Lustgraff 3-4, LaVaute 0-3, Kaila Wagner 1-3, Katelyn Kropp 0-1, Ashley O'Reilly 1-2, Murray Taylor 0-2.

Glacier (5-8, 4-4) - Brown 1-4, Franklin 0-4, M. Connolly 2-3, A. Connolly 1-3, Hoffenbacker 1-3, Kenfield 0-3, Pettit 2-2, Taylor Albright 0-3, Compton 2-2.

2B-O'Reilly; Compton, Hoffenbacker; RBIs-Lustgraff; Franklin, A. Connolly.