Libby wipes out Whitefish

WHITEFISH - Ask Libby's Dean Thompson why the Logger softball team won Thursday's matchup with the Whitefish Bulldogs and he'll point to the number of hits the Loggers posted.

Ask Whitefish's Alan Compton why the Bulldogs lost and he'll point to lackadaisical baserunning.

And they're both right.

Libby posted 11 hits and Whitefish stranded 13 runners as the Loggers downed Whitefish 10-6.

The Libby victory, along with Polson's 8-4 win over Columbia Falls, means that the Northwestern A's three participants for the Class A state softball tournament are Polson, Whitefish and Libby. Polson will be No. 1 from the conference, but Whitefish and Libby are still fighting for the No. 2 spot.

"We each have one game left," Thompson said.

The Loggers play host today to Polson while Whitefish hosts Ronan on Saturday.

"This is a good win for us. We had a couple nice shots. We hit the ball well and that's what kept us in the game," Thompson said.

"The top of our lineup really hit the ball well for us. Defensively we didn't play a good game (seven errors), but the hits came through," he said.

Libby's first four batters were a combined 8-for-16.

Added to that was a two-run homer and three RBIs by No. 5 batter Kim Tangen.

"We hit well. I think we played good defense. Baserunning hurt us. Baserunning cost us the game," Compton said.

"Defensively, I think we were a wash. They had some errors. We had some errors. But they were aggressive running the bases. We weren't.

"We left an unbelievable amount of runners on base," he said.

The Bulldogs stranded two in each of the first six innings.

Libby, meanwhile, found ways to score.

It plated two runners in the first, then added three more in third.

It was in the third, with one run already in, when the sophomore Tangen sent the first pitch she saw over the left field fence.

It's the second homer of the year for her.

"That was a good hit for her. She's swinging the bat well," Thompson said.

But the Bulldogs bounced right back with three runs in the fourth, including a two-run homer by pitcher Kaitlyn Wehrli (her third of the season).

"They did a good of not quitting and kept digging, which is what this team is about," Compton said.

That made it 6-4 Libby - and that's where things stayed until the seventh.

The Loggers started with a flyout, but then put together four straight hits to score four runs.

Whitefish was game. It opened with a strikeout, but then put together three hits and scored two runs.

"Whitefish is a great team - us getting those extra runs in that seventh inning ... we needed them. We were looking at extra innings," Thompson said.

Thompson also complimented the efforts of pitcher Stacey Oedewaldt.

"Stacey's been sick all week. She struggled, but she came through and did what we needed to. She's pitched well for us, won some big games for us."

Libby 203 010 4 - 10117

Whitefish 100 300 2 - 6104

Stacey Oedewaldt and Lexi Hageness. Kaitlyn Wehrli and Hailey Mortensen.

Libby - Jaime Gilden 2-4, Alyssa Walker 2-4, Lexi Hageness 1-4, Alysha Martin 3-4, Kim Tangen 2-4, Candace Hendrickson 1-4, LaRona Luscher 0-4, Taylor Barton 0-3, Harley Nelson 0-3.

HR - Tangen.

RBI - Tangen 3, Martin 2.

Whitefish - Kaitlyn Wehrli 1-5, Andrea Lamourex 0-5, Madison Tveidt 2-5, Hailey Mortensen 2-4, Shannon Holmes 3-4, Emma Baldonado 0-4, Madisen Cross 1-4, Hanah Lewis 0-2, Baylee Tveidt 1-4.

HR - Wehrli.

RBI - Wehrli 2, M. Tveidt 1, Holmes 2.