Glacier falls to Capital, Helena

One of the toughest tasks for any squad is learning to stretch brilliant spurts into long streaks of success.

The Glacier softball team found its winning formula with three straight victories prior to Saturday's Western AA doubleheader with Helena Capital and Helena High at Kidsports Complex, but it must now master another skill: staying on top.

The Bruins overwhelmed the Wolfpack 10-0 in five innings before Glacier dug itself too deep a hole in a 5-4 loss to the Bengals.

Glacier (5-11 overall) fell to 4-6 in Western AA play to sit tied with Flathead with two conference games left.

Capital 10, Glacier 0 (5)

The Wolfpack bore little resemblance to the sharp squad that knocked off Missoula Big Sky on Thursday.

The Bruins (7-2, 6-1 Western AA) set the tone with a leadoff homer by junior catcher Kalli Heller and never took their foot off the pedal. They led 8-0 after three innings and secured the mercy-rule victory on Jordyn Gillespie's two-run single in the fifth.

Capital, which took second at state last spring, racked up 13 hits while holding Glacier to two.

After committing just three errors during their three-game win streak, the Wolfpack made three by the third inning.

"We talked about it yesterday in practice, trying to avoid the letdown," Glacier coach Joel Bemis said. "It's such a big emotional high to beat a tough team like Big Sky, and now it's a matter of just learning how to deal with those emotions when you come out and play another game like that."

Senior Halie Hash pitched the distance for Capital, notching four strikeouts without a walk.

Heller finished with three hits, followed by Kelsi Brekke, Gillespie and Devin McNellis with two apiece.

Junior shortstop Brittney Brown and sophomore second baseman Lindsey Hoffenbacker singled for Glacier, which advance just one runner beyond first base.

The Bruins had to rally past Glacier two weeks ago for a 6-3 win in Helena, but they didn't take the young Wolfpack lightly in their rematch.

"At the beginning of the season, we didn't know what to expect from them, but they're really solid," Capital coach Mike Miller said. "They played us really tough in Helena.

"I don't really care if they're young or not. They're playing really well and they're having good games against everybody, so it was a great thing for us to get off to a good start."

Bemis said the Wolfpack weren't rattled by their quick deficit, but they lacked the fire-power to play catch-up against one of Class AA's elite programs.

"They got on us early, and I didn't think we got too down … we just were flat," he said.

"We've got to learn how to pick that pace up."

Capital 233 02 - 10 13 1

Glacier 000 00 - 0 2 3

Halie Hash and Kalli Heller. Jesse Compton and Brittany Franklin. W - Hash. L - Compton.

CAPITAL (7-2, 6-1) - Heller 3-4, Hash 1-4, Kelsi Brekke 2-2, Jordyn Gillespie 2-4, Jacie Vonada 1-4, Ashley Blanton 1-3, Liz Baker 1-3, Megan Graff 0-2, Devin McNellis 2-3.

GLACIER (5-9. 4-5) - Brittney Brown 1-2, Franklin 0-2, Megan Connolly 0-2, Abby Connolly 0-2, Lindsey Hoffenbacker 1-2, Sabrina Kenfield 0-2, Zoey Pettit 0-2, Kristen Storle 0-2, Compton 0-2.

RBIs - Cap. 9 (Gillespie 3, Hash 2, Heller, Brekke, Vonada, McNellis), Gla. 0. HR - Cap. 1 (Heller), Gla. 0. 2B - Cap. 2 (Brekke, McNellis), Gla. 0. SB - Cap. 4 (Heller 2, Brekke, McNellis), Gla. 0. SAC - Cap. 1 (Graffe), Gla. 0.

Helena 5, Glacier 4

The Wolfpack earned enough runs, but they gave too many away.

Glacier's ferocious sixth-inning rally came up just short after the Bengals mounted a 5-0 lead, thanks largely to three Wolfpack errors.

Helena catcher Sarah Sesselman homered to right-center field to lead off the fourth inning and break up a scoreless tie.

The Bengals added three unearned runs in the fifth inning, including another solo blast by Sesselman that followed a Glacier throwing error on what would have been the third out of the inning. Helena added an unearned insurance run in the sixth when a ball was misplayed after a single by Carly Grant.

"We've been pretty solid all year, and that's one of those games that I wish we could play over again," Glacier coach Joel Bemis said.

"I am pleased, though, with the way we didn't quit. I'm pleased with the way we came back, and we showed a lot of guts there in the last couple innings to just make a game out of it."

Freshman catcher Brittany Franklin started Glacier's four-run sixth inning with a single up the middle. Freshman left fielder Megan Connolly followed with a single to left, and sophomore first baseman Abby Connolly scored Franklin with a laser-shot double down the third-base line. Sophomore second baseman Lindsey Hoffenbacker crushed a two-run double to deep center before freshman third baseman Sabrina Kenfield capped the inning with an RBI single to left-center.

The Wolfpack edged Helena (4-5, 3-3 conference) 2-1 two weeks ago.

"I think that one's a little more frustrating, because we beat that team before," Bemis said. "For us, it was just a little bit too little, too late, I think.

"We put together a couple good innings at the end and finally started hitting the ball, and I think if we had one more inning, we'd have got 'em. It just took us awhile to warm up."

Helena coach John Hawe said the Bengals' new defensive alignment paid immediate dividends. Neither of Helena's errors caused any harm.

"As of today, we got a new second baseman, a new shortstop and a new third baseman, so we're all the way around trying some new things, and it worked out well today," he said.

"Of course, our go-to pitcher Josie Grotbo … did an excellent job, especially in the final innings where she came in and just threw the heat and forced them out."

Grotbo surrendered seven hits, but retired the Wolfpack in order in the seventh inning.

Franklin and Abby Connolly each had two hits, while Megan Connolly, Hoffenbacker and Kenfield had one. Abby Connolly slugged a pair of doubles.

"I'll give that credit to coach (Sarah) Conner," Bemis said of Abby Connolly's sweet stroke. "Thursday, coach Conner kind of changed her stance a little bit and changed the way she was triggering.

"She noticed something and just changed her trigger. She's done a pretty good job adjusting, and she made the adjustment, and that was a great job for her."

Helena 000 131 0 - 5 10 2

Glacier 000 004 0 - 4 7 3

Josie Grotbo and Sarah Sesselman. Kendra Bouley, Jesse Compton (5) and Brittany Franklin. W - Grotbo. L - Bouley.

HELENA (4-5, 3-3) - Carly Grant 2-4, Ashten Colvin 0-3, Grotbo 1-3, Sarah Jackson 0-4, Sesselman 2-4, Noel Perez 2-4, Carmon Cole 2-4, Sydney Carpenter 0-3, Brittaney Mayer 1-3.

GLACIER (5-10, 4-6) - Brittney Brown 0-4, Franklin 2-4, Megan Connolly 1-3, Abby Connolly 2-3, Lindsey Hoffenbacker 1-3, Sabrina Kenfield 1-3, Zoey Pettit 0-2, Katie Pilsch 0-3, Bouley 0-0, Compton 0-2.

RBIs - Hel. 3 (Sesselman 2, Cole), Gla. 4 (Hoffenbacker 2, A. Connolly, Kenfield). HR - Hel. 2 (Sesselman 2), Gla. 0. 2B - Hel. 1 (Cole), Gla. 3 (A. Connolly 2, Hoffenbacker). SAC - Hel. 1 (Grotbo), Gla. 0.

Helena 12, Glacier 8

Helena jumped out to an 8-3 lead after three innings and held on for the nonconference victory.

Abby Connolly led Glacier with three hits, followed by Brittany Franklin and Megan Connolly with two apiece.

Helena 323 020 2 - 12 21 1

Glacier 201 302 0 - 8 11 2

Noel Perez and Kelsey Chambers; Alyssa Florman and Lindsey Hoffenbacker; W - Perez; L - Florman.

HELENA (5-5) - Carly Grant 3-5, Ashten Colvin 4-5, Josie Grotbo 3-4, Sarah Jackson 2-5, Sarah Sesselman 2-4, Noel Perez 4-5, Carmon Cole 2-5, Sydney Carpenter 1-4, Brittaney Mayer 0-3.

Glacier (5-11) - Brittney Brown 0-2, Brittany Franklin 2-3, Megan Connolly 2-4, Abby Connolly 3-4, Lindsey Hoffenbacker 1-3, Sabrina Kenfield 1-4, Kristen Storle 0-2, Zoey Pettit 1-4, Florman 0-3.

2B - Grant, Grotbo, Sesselman, Perez, Cole; Franklin (2), M. Connolly (2), A. Connolly (2); RBIs - Grant, Grotbo (4), Jackson (2), Cole; Franklin, M. Connolly (3), A. Connolly (4).