Columbia Falls rallies for another softball victory, this time over Glacier

The situation was dire ... again.

The Columbia Falls Wildkats, already comeback queens after rallying from seven runs down to beat Ronan on Thursday, did it again on Friday.

Only this time the foe was Class AA Glacier, the run difference was four and the Wildkats waited until the seventh inning to mount the rally.

But visiting Columbia Falls (2-0, 1-0) got the right hits at the right time and rallied to beat the Wolfpack 9-8 in an action-packed nonconference softball contest.

"We needed runs. We talked about it ... ‘get on any way you can.' And then (the Wildkats) started hitting. I thought they did a nice job hitting good pitches and we were quick on the bases," said Columbia Falls coach Dave Kehr.

"Everybody hit. Everybody was on base. We did a nice job baserunning and we got the timely hits. We got a lot of hits when we needed them," he said.

"Shaun (Rowe) hit well, Erika (Nelson) hit well, Jessica (Owens) pitched well, Jordan (Lefebvre) got a timely hit ... it was a team effort, complete team effort," Kehr said.

The teams combined for 22 hits, including four doubles and a home run.

Glacier sophomore Jena Willis was 4-for-4 with a home run and junior Shayna Atlee was 3-for-3.

"She was impressive," Glacier coach Joel Bemis said of Willis.

"I'm so pleased with the way our young girls stepped up," he said.

On the Wildcat side of things, Owens, Renae Nelson, Rowe and Erika Nelson each had two hits.

Columbia Falls was aggressive from the beginning.

"The girls came out real well. They didn't seem nervous at all and I thought they might be," Kehr said.

The Wildkats jumped ahead with two hits and a run in the first.

But Glacier bounced back with three runs in the second, two in the third and three in the sixth.

By the time the Wildkats came to bat in the seventh, it appeared the end was near.

Columbia Falls had other ideas.

Leadoff batter Owens started the rally with an infield single. Renae Nelson dropped a bunt in front of home plate. By the time the Wolfpack recorded the first out, Columbia Falls tied the score at eight.

"Pretty good game, really," Bemis said.

"It was exciting. Lots of hitting and I was real pleased with the way our young kids came into this game. I thought they really performed well," Bemis said.

"(The Wildkats) got some clutch hits when they needed them, their two slappers (Owens and Renae Nelson) got on base. They hit the ball when they needed to hit the ball," Bemis said.

"Those two little slappers were very fast and they put the ball in play," he said.

"It was a fun game. It was fun to be competitive. We just came up short," he said.

For the Wildkats, scheduling the Wolfpack was all upside.

"I'd like to play these guys all the time," Kehr said.

"We see real good pitching, a good hitting team. We get a little more outside play."

The Wolfpack (1-1, 1-0) is scheduled to travel to Great Falls today to take on CMR and Great Falls High. The first game is planned for 1:30 p.m.

The Wildkats play host at 2 p.m. to Whitefish.

Columbia Falls 103 000 5 - 9 121

Glacier 032 003 0 - 8 103

Jessica Owens and Erika Nelson. Jessie Compton and Brittany Franklin. W - Owens (1-0). L - Compton (1-1).

Columbia Falls - Jessica Owens 2-4, Renae Nelson 2-4, Shaun Rowe 2-3, Niki Birky 1-4, Erika Nelson 2-4, Madison Sandefer 1-4, Tessa Cowan 1-3, Jordan Lefebvre 1-3, Ciarra Holm 0-3.

2B - E. Nelson, Rowe. RBI - Rowe 1, E. Nelson 4, Sandefer 1, Birky 1, Cowan 1.

Glacier - Jena Willis 4-4, Alana Townsend 1-3, Shayna Atlee 3-3, Brittany Franklin 1-4, Erin Fitzsimmons 0-3, Paige Latimer 0-3, Marysa Rogozynski 1-4, Jessie Compton 0-4, Kallie Evans 0-2.

HR - Willis. 2B - Atlee, Franklin. RBI - Willis 2, Atlee 2, Franklin 1, Latimer 1, Compton 1.