Heartbreaking losses for Wolfpack

It was a big shot.

It was one of those hits that you know is a home run the second it leaves the bat.

Unfortunately, Glacier's Megan Connolly hit her two-out grand slam with the Wolfpack trailing Helena High 8-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday.

It was just too little, too late for the Wolfpack (6-9 overall, 4-7 Western AA).

The final was 8-4.

Glacier also lost a heartbreaker in its first game of the day - 5-2 to Helena Capital.

"We struggled to hit. That pitcher did a good job of keeping us off balance," Glacier coach Joel Bemis said of Helena High's Carly Grant.

Glacier managed just five hits for the game and, with the exception of a fourth-inning single by Lyndsey Hoffenbacker, they all came in the seventh inning.

"We were flat. And between being flat and their pitcher throwing a pretty good game … but we stayed there in the seventh and started hitting the ball.

"I tell the girls 'Don't ever quit. Megan came in and hit that grand slam. That's why you never quit. One swing can change the game and it almost did there," he said.

At that point, Helena coach John Hawe admitted he was glad the Bengals had a big lead.

"It's a good thing we got those early runs," he smiled.

The Bengals hit the ball well in the early going - shortstop Sydney Carpenter hit the first pitch she saw in the first inning over the fence.

"That was a great way to start the day. But these kids didn't stop hitting," Hawe said.

All in all, Helena had 11 hits on the day.

The Bengals added two more runs in the second inning and then tacked on four more in the sixth and seventh innings.

Defensive highlights on the day for the Wolfpack included two double plays - the first came in the fourth when second baseman Hoffenbacker tagged Helena's Kelsey Chambers on her way to second base, then threw out Kwyncee Ward at first.

The second was in the seventh inning. Glacier shortstop Brittney Brown threw out Helena's Kathy Pocklington at first and first baseman Abby Connolly immediately fired to third to put out Jordan Briski.

As for the first game against Capital, the Wolfpack battled in that one, too.

It bounced back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the sixth and send it to extra innings.

But the Bruins' Kalli Heller and Devin McNellis hit back-to-back homers in the the top of the eighth.

"Those two, the pitches were in the right spots and they got on them," Bemis said.

But even then, the Wolfpack bounced back in the bottom of the eighth and loaded the bases.

"We were giving ourselves a good chance to come back on them. We played really well, I thought. We hit the ball in that game when we needed to. We battled and kept our heads up," he said.

Bemis complimented the play of center fielder Zoey Pettit. Pettit was 2-for-4 in the Capital game.

"We've moved her on the other side of the plate this year. She's starting to really get it," the coach said. "She put down a perfect bunt right when we needed her to," he said.

Capital 5, Glacier 2

Capital 110 000 03 - 5 9 0

Glacier 000 002 00 - 2 8 2

Jordan Peterson and Kalli Heller. Kendra Bouley and Brittany Franklin. L - bouley

Capital - Kalli Heller 3-4, Devin McNellis 2-4, Kelsi Brekke 2-4, Jacie Vonada 1-4, Hanna Morgan 0-4, Liz Baker 0-4, Megan Graff 1-4, Cassi Baker 0-2, Ashley Blanton 0-1, Brittany Hash 0-2, Katie Boland 0-1.

HR - McNellis, Heller. 3B - Heller. 2B - Heller, McNellis, Brekke, Vonada. RBI - Heller 2, McNellis 1.

Glacier - Brittney Brown 0-3, Zoey Pettit 2-4, Lyndsey Hoffenbacker 3-4, Brittany Franklin 1-4, Abby Connolly 2-4, Sabrina Kenfield 0-2, Kristen Storle 0-1, Micah Hergesheimer 0-4, Megan Connolly 0-3, Kendra Bouley 0-3.

3B - Hoffenbacker. 2B - Franklin. RBIs: Franklin 1, A. Connolly 1.

Helena 8, Glacier 4

Helena 220 001 3 - 8 11 0

Glacier 000 000 4 - 4 5 1

Carly Grant and Kelsey Chambers. Kendra Bouley and Brittany Franklin.

Helena - Carly Grant 1-4, Jenna Krum 1-4, Sydney Carpenter 3-4, Sarah Jackson 2-4, Jordan Briski 1-4, Kathy Pocklington 2-3, Kelsey Chambers 0-2, Kwyncee Ward 1-3, Caroline Cardenas 0-3.

HR - Carpenter. 2B - Grant, Jackson. RBIs - Carpenter 2, Briski 2.

Glacier - Brown 0-3, Pettit 0-3, Hoffenbacker 1-3, Franklin 1-3, Connolly 1-2, Kenfield 0-3, Storle 0-2, Connolly 1-3,Bouley 1-2.

HR - M. Connolly. 2B - Bouley. RBIs - M. Connollly 4.