Pirates pull away from Dogs
Whitefish Pitcher Kaitlyn Wehrli (3) ducks out of the way as third baseman Hanah Lewis throws the ball to first basemen Shannon Holmes during the Friday's game against Polson.
WHITEFISH — It looked like an upset might be in the brewing.
The Whitefish Lady Bulldog softball team scored five runs in the third inning to take a 3-run lead on longtime Western A powerhouse Polson.
But in the end, the Pirates were the Pirates.
They kept the pressure on Whitefish’s defense — as a team Polson had 20 hits, junior center fielder Kodi Woods had five stolen bases, they put together a 7-run fifth inning ... and the Pirates (2-0) rallied to drop Whitefish (1-2) 17-6 on a frigid Friday evening.
“Polson did what they do,” said Whitefish coach Alan Compton.
“They kept the pressure on, they took advantage of misthrows, bobbling the ball.
“I definitely think Polson is beatable this year, but ... you’ve got to play a whole game with them.”
“We had a couple hiccups there,” said Pirate coach Larry Smith of the third inning.
“Shay (freshman pitcher Duford) lost her composure a little bit. She just didn’t like the strike zone very well — and that happens,” he said.
“I don’t know if the cold was to blame, but she definitely was off her game. She’s definitely a lot more consistent than that,” he said.
““Too many walks. We had one little defensive mistake. But it all started with a walk.
“We got it back real fast. That was nice. It’s nice to see them when the other team makes a little rally, they can come right back. It’s nice to see them respond.
“The composure with our kids ... they can get up there and get the job done,” Smith said.
“Kodi Woods has a fantastic game — five stolen bases. That’s the most I’ve had in a single game since (former Pirate shortstop) Strohm Fouty .
“That’s what we wanted Kodi to do. She’s very quick. She can lay down a little short bunt and beat it out. We just wanted her to be aggressive when she got on base base,” Smith said.
Smith also complimented the efforts of senior captain Staci Benson.
“She’s got the biggest heart of anybody out there,” the coach said.
“I thought we played really good for four innings,” Compton said.
“Overall for the whole day, I’m pleased. We just mentally lost the battle.
“(The Pirates) won the battle of the minds. That’s going to be what we’ve got to work on, mentally finishing.
“But there were lots of positives. The score doesn’t show how close the game could have been,” Compton said.
“It was there. They just mentally didn’t finish. That’s what hurt us, was the mental errors.
“We’ve got a young team and lots of girls are in new spots. It’s going to take us a few weeks to work through that. We just have to keep going forward.”
Polson 021 272 3 — 17 20 8
Whitefish 105 000 0 — 6 6 11
Shay Duford and Kayla Duford. Kaitlyn Wehrli and Hailey Mortenson. W — Duford (2-0). L — Wehrli.
Polson — Staci Benson 3-6, Kodi Woods 4-6, Kayla Duford 1-4, Riley Kenney 2-4, Sallie Sams 3-4, Makalia Wilson 2-5, Ashley Johnson 1-3, Martina Marquardt 1-1, Collen Jacobson 1-2, Kylie Knutson 0-2, Heidi Rausch 0-1, Shay Duford 1-3.
RBI: Benson 2, Woods 1, Kenney 1, Wilson 2, Marquardt 1, Jacobson 1, S. Duford 1.
2B — Benson, Wilson, Jacobson,
Whitefish — Kaitlyn Wehrli 1-4, Emily Stiver 1-4, Madison Tveidt 1-4, Hailey Mortensen 1-4, Baylee Tveidt 1-3, Hanah Lewis 0-2, Emma Baldonaldo 0-2, Shannon Holmes 1-3, Madisen Cross 0-3.
RBI: M. Tveidt 1, Mortensen 1, Holmes 2.
2B — M. Tveidt.