Seeding on line in crosstown clash
Flathead visits Glacier in softball finale
Flathead coach Dale Beerman expected a log-jam in the middle of the Western AA softball standings. He just thought it might be settled by now.
The Bravettes (5-6 conference, 10-9 overall) and the Glacier Wolfpack (5-6, 6-12) will break from their fifth-place deadlock at 4 p.m. today when they meet at Kidsports Complex for a crosstown doubleheader.
It's a good thing, too. The conference playoffs are next week.
"Tomorrow's a big game," Beerman said Wednesday night. "It's pretty huge.
"The best time of year to play good is at the end."
The second game, scheduled for 6, is nonconference.
Glacier and Flathead both beat Missoula Hellgate within the last two weeks, but the Knights finished conference play at 6-6. Today's victor forces a fourth-place regular-season tie with Hellgate, while the loser falls to sixth.
Conference champion Helena Capital already clinched an automatic berth to the state tournament in Great Falls. Western AA's remaining six squads will square off in best-of-three playoff series to decide the conference's final three slots.
The conference's second-, third- and fourth-place teams will host the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-place squads next week. Helena High and Missoula Big Sky have yet to settle second and third place, while Missoula Sentinel is mired in seventh.
"I think it's important playing at home … for the confidence of the kids," Beerman said. "You get to sleep in your own bed. The friends are there, the parents are there."
Flathead and Glacier split their two conference games with Hellgate this season.
According to Glacier coach Joel Bemis, the Bravettes would grab the No. 4 seed from Hellgate with a victory today, by virtue of their record against the Knights' common opponents. Bemis said the Wolfpack will be a No. 5 seed if they prevail.
"The scenario's still so muddled," Bemis said. "What it looks like is, I don't think we're going to be playing Flathead in the playoffs, and that's what it looked like a week ago.
"We love the position that we've put ourselves in. We look back at our conference schedule and say, 'Wow, we beat Big Sky. Wow, we beat Helena High.'
"We beat some teams that are pretty good, and it's set us up to be right in the middle of things, which is pretty exciting."
Junior workhorse Meagan Hash will pitch today's opener for Flathead. Freshman Jesse Compton will start for Glacier, with freshman Kendra Bouley also ready to step into the circle.
Flathead scored three runs in the last two innings to rally past Glacier 5-4 in the teams' first conference tilt. The Wolfpack responded with a 14-0 triumph in the nightcap.
"They're really fired up," Bemis said. "They were excited about that last game with Flathead and saw what we could do when we hit the ball.
"We know if we win, we have a chance to better our seed, and that's what we want. It's still a little muddled who we might face, but whoever it is, we know we can compete with them."
Glacier's Brittany Franklin racked up seven hits in the last crosstown doubleheader, while Kendra Bennett, Anna Costa and Shaina Evans had three apiece for Flathead.
The Bravettes tallied nine hits in their victory over the Wolfpack, scoring the winning run on a Glacier error. Flathead managed just three hits against Bouley in its defeat.
"We've got to hit the ball right away, score some runs right away," Beerman said. "We've just got to jump on them right away, put the pressure on them.
"We've got to put the ball in play. If you don't put the ball in play, it's a pretty easy game."
Standings
Eastern AA
League All Games
W L W L
Billings West 9 2 16 3
C.M. Russell 7 4 12 6
Billings Skyview 7 5 11 7
Great Falls High 6 5 7 11
Butte 4 5 10 7
Billings Senior 4 6 8 8
Bozeman 0 11 0 14
Tuesday
Great Falls High 13, Butte 3
Butte 11, Great Falls High 3
Billings West 1, Billings Skyview 0
Today
Billings West at Butte
Western AA
League All Games
W L W L
Helena Capital 9 2 10 4
Missoula Big Sky 8 4 12 6
Helena High 7 4 8 6
Missoula Hellgate 6 6 8 10
Flathead 5 6 10 9
Glacier 5 6 6 12
Missoula Sentinel 0 12 0 17
Tuesday
Missoula Big Sky 7, Missoula Hellgate 6
Today
4 p.m. - Flathead at Glacier