Glacier sweeps Flathead
Flathead’s Karlee Stacy runs over first base after Glacier’s Abby Connolly makes the catch to force her out in the sixth inning during the first game of Friday afternoon’s crosstown softball doubleheader at Kidsports Complex.
Flathead freshman pitcher Sidney Alberts makes a fielding play on a bunted ball.
The Glacier Wolfpack is finding — or maybe the better way to put it — making ways to win softball games.
Junior pitcher Kendra Bouley singled Abby Connolly home in the fourth inning as the Wolfpack eked out a 2-1 win in the conference game of Friday’s doubleheader with the Flathead Bravettes.
The Wolfpack (8-2, 6-1) then turned the offense up a notch in the second game, downing Flathead 15-5.
The victories give Glacier an 8-1 advantage in the crosstown series.
Bouley struck out 11 Bravette batters. She gave up four hits and walked one to go to 5-1 on the season.
Jessie Compton got the win in the second game. She allowed six hits, struck out four, hit one and walked none.
“As I’ve told the girls ... it doesn’t matter how we do it, we’ve just got to find a way and different girls are stepping up,” said Glacier coach Joel Bemis.
“We’ve found ways to get the job done and we’ve set ourselves up pretty well for the second half of the conference season,” he said.
But coming into Friday’s doubleheader was nerve-wracking, he said.
“(The Bravettes) are a better team than their record shows. Any time you can get a win in the crosstown game, you’re pretty pleased with it,” he said.
“We knew this would be a battle. Everybody’s nerves were a little high. They ended up settling down and playing pretty cleanly.
“I thought the first game was very well executed. Both teams did what they had to do,” he said.
“(The Bravettes) really executed their short game well. We weren’t quite ready for that. They did a nice job there,” Bemis said.
“I’ll give a lot of credit to the Flathead pitcher, Sidney Alberts,” Bemis said.
“She’s a pretty good little pitcher. She kept us off-balance,” he said.
“I felt today that our program finally turned a corner,” said Flathead coach Tim Severson.
“We started playing with some confidence. We realized we could compete against a very good Glacier team,” he said.
“I’m just real proud of the way our girls competed today, stuck together — and started having fun and playing softball.
“I’m really excited. I really believe we made huge strides for our young program. We just battled today,” Severson said.
He complimented the efforts of Casey Roylston, Kassi Martin and Cherise Stivers on their batting in the first game. Roylston had a double and batted in Flathead’s one run.
The second game wasn’t as cleanly executed.
Flathead committed seven errors — five in the second inning as Glacier scored seven runs.
“We brought some of the younger girls up,” Severson
explained.
But the Bravettes didn’t quit.
“We gave up seven runs and we battled back to a 5-7 ballgame before letting it get out of hand,” Severson said.
He complimented junior Meghan Bourassa and sophomore Isabella Bush — both got hits in the second game. Bourassa’s was a double.
“I’m just real pleased with the strides we are making. But the biggest one — we started finding some confidence. I’m very happy with the way we played today. I think the hardest thing to do is to learn how to win and today I think we turned the corner,” he added.
The Wolfpack has a few days off now — it doesn’t play again until Thursday.
Flathead, though, is back at it today. It hosts Missoula Hellgate at 1 and 3 p.m. .
Glacier 2, Flathead 1
Flathead 001 000 0 — 1 4 1
Glacier 100 100 x — 2 7 1
Sidney Alberts and Alexa Mrgich. Kendra Bouley and Brittany Franklin. W — (Bouley 5-1).
Flathead — Kassi Martin 1-3, Casey Roylston 2-3, Alisha Lingle 0-2, Karlee Stacy 0-3, Sidney Alberts 0-3, Alexa Mrgich 0-3, Ariel Samuals-Williams 0-3, Jessie Erickson 0-3, Cherise Stivers 1-3.
2B — Roylston
RBI — Roylston.
Glacier — Anna Costa 0-3, Zoey Pettit 1-3, Brittany Franklin 1-3, Lyndsey Hoffenbacker 1-2, Baylee Quay 1-3, Abby Connolly 1-3, Sabrina Kenfield 1-3, Paige Latimer 0-2, Kendra Bouley 1-2.
2B — Franklin.
RBI — Bouley.
Glacier 15, Flathead 5
Flathead 003 020 — 5 6 7
Glacier 250 035 — 15 9 2
Alisha Lingle and Alexa Mrgich. Jessie Compton, Kendra Bouley (6) and Brittany Franklin. W — Compton (3-1).
Flathead — Martin 1-3, Roylston 2-3, Lingle 0-3, Mrgich 1-3, Stivers 0-3, Taylor Twichel 0-2, Aubrey Montayne 0-3, Isabella Bush 1-3, Meghan Bourassa 1-3
2B —Roylston, Bourassa.
RBI — Roylston 2.
Glacier — Pettit 1-4, Brittany Knopp 0-4, Franklin 1-1,Hoffenbacker 1-4, Quay 1-4, Kenfield 2-4, Latimer 2-3, Connolly 1-3, Compton 0-1.
2B — Quay, Kenfield
RBIs: Hoffenbacker 1, Baylee Quay 2, Kenfield 1, Connolly 3.