Glacier gamble pays off in victory over Hellgate

Sometimes you just take your chances and hope it works out.

It did on Tuesday afternoon for the Glacier Wolfpack softball team.

Wolfpack coach Joel Bemis took a shot, waving Anna Costa home from first base on Megan Connolly's sixth inning double to left field as Glacier broke a scoreless tie and defeated visiting Missoula Hellgate 1-0.

"When the ball went fair and then it headed right for the corner ... I thought we had a chance," Bemis said.

"Anna is pretty quick and sometimes you get good rolls like that. I thought, ‘what have we got to lose?' The ball was still kind of in the outfield and Anna had the wheels to make it," he said.

"I hit a little blooper (to second base) and they kind of bobbled it around," Costa said. "I just kind of got some luck and got on. Megan hit me home."

"I hit a hard ball to left. I guess it was on the line, but I got it far enough that I got second and she got home," Connelly said.

When she saw Bemis waving her on, Costa said her only thought was to just try to run faster.

"I was running with lead feet, but at least I got it. I'm glad it turned out well," she smiled.

For her part, Connelly wisely held up.

"I got to second and I was watching," Connelly said.

Tuesday's contest was filled with tough plays made by both sides.

Glacier (1-0) came away empty in the fifth after getting first baseman Kendra Bouley to second base with one out. Hellgate had runners on second and third with two outs in that inning - Glacier shortstop Paige Latimer ended the Knight hopes with a difficult catch.

The game was pretty cleanly played defensively - Costa got aboard on the only error.

"Defensively, we were solid. Jessie (Compton) pitched a really good game," Bemis said.

Compton gave up three hits, had seven strikeouts, no walks and hit two batsmen.

"She had a pretty solid outing. She stayed ahead of batters, kept them off-balance. Great start to the season for Jessie," the coach said.

"We played solid defense behind her. We were there to make plays and make catches. We struggled a little bit to get a bunt down, but that comes with being outside, I think."

"We just found a way. Anna reaching base on the error, hustling, the double into the corner to drive in Anna, that was just tough," Bemis said.

Tuesday was the first time this season the Wolfpack has been able to get on the Kidsports fields.

"We are getting used to the spacial relationships out there. It took us awhile, especially at the plate," the coach said.

"I think luck was on our side. We pulled it together and worked as a team," Costa said.

"Our defense played solid. Offense was the only thing ... we have to get on our hitting earlier. But we haven't been outside yet. This was our first game on this field," Connelly said.

Glacier plays host at 4 p.m. Friday to Columbia Falls.

Hellgate 000 000 0 - 0 3 1

Glacier 000 001 x - 1 3 0

Leyna Downey and Jessa Ouellette. Jessie Compton and Brittany Franklin. W - Compton (1-0). L - Downey.

Hellgate - Jessa Ouellette 0-3, Katie Seaholm 0-3, Makaylyn Schultz 1-2, Leyna Downey 0-3, Tiffany Tompkins 0-3, Chelsea Shull 1-3, McKenna Gagner 0-3, Jenna White 0-2, Brooke Nelson 1-1.

Glacier - Jenna Willis 1-3, Anna Costa 0-2, Shayna Atlee 0-3, Brittany Franklin 0-2, Megan Connolly 1-2, Sabrina Kenfield 0-3, Kendra Bouley 1-2, Paige Latimer 0-1, Erin Fitzsimmons 0-2.

2B - Connolly. RBI - Connolly.