Clutch hit lifts Wolfpack over Knights
Glacier’s Shayna Atlee lays down a bunt in the top of the fifth inning of the first Western AA playoff softball game against Missoula Hellgate on Wednesday afternoon at Kidsports Complex. Atlee was tagged out at first, but Anna Costa advanced to second base on the play. Glacier won that game 6-1.
Glacier’s Paige Latimer fields the ball during Wednesday afternoon’s playoff game with Missoula Hellgate.
"I believe in you. Make them pay for this."
That's what Glacier softball coach Joel Bemis told senior center fielder Baylee Quay as she stepped to the plate in a tight situation on Wednesday afternoon.
The Wolfpack had claimed a 6-1 victory in the first game of Wednesday's best-of-three softball playoff series with the Missoula Hellgate Knights.
But the second game was tied at two in the fifth inning, the bases were loaded with Wolfpack team members, there were two outs and the Knights had just intentionally walked Glacier catcher Brittany Franklin in order to take their chances with Quay.
Undeniably, Quay had been having a tough day at the plate - she was 0-for-2 in the game and 0-for-4 on the day.
"That pressure on her ... that's what you look for from a senior to come through, to mentally believe in herself. It would have been easy for her to strike out again," Bemis said.
Instead, Quay launched a shot into right field. Twenty seconds later, the bases were empty, Glacier was up 5-2 and Quay was standing on third base.
The Wolfpack went on to win by that score.
"You can't write a better story!" Bemis said.
"For her to do that, just to have the guts to stand in and do that. She got it done for us. She bombed that one to right field and cleaned the bases.
"I just smiled and told her how awesome it was."
The Wolfpack advances to next week's Class AA state tournament in Billings, where it will face the No. 2 seed from Eastern AA in the first round.
The contributions came from everywhere.
Jessie Compton pitched a complete second game and all but six batters of the first game, Brittany Franklin was 4-for-5 on the day with two doubles and two home runs and five RBI and Megan Connolly was 3-for-6 with three RBI.
"I was just seeing (the ball) really well today," Franklin said.
"I've been in a slump the last couple games, so it was nice to come out and hit when it counted. This is the first time I've really made solid contact against (Hellgate's Leyna Downey)," she said.
"I've been working on my hitting. Really, I just needed to focus," she said.
The entire Glacier team made contributions when they mattered most, Bemis said.
Things got exciting before the end, however.
Compton was starting to wear down after facing so many batters (61 on the day) and Hellgate loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh.
Wolfpack shortstop Paige Latimer got a ground out for the first, but Hellgate came up with back-to-back singles.
The fourth batter popped up to Compton.
She hit batter No. 5 and faced a 2-2 count against Hellgate left fielder Frankie Needles.
"I was a little nervous, but I knew we could get through it, so I just trusted that the defense would be behind me," Compton said of her feelings at that point.
"I just kind of calmed back down and did what I needed to do to get the last out. I knew they had to hit a grand slam to go ahead and I wasn't too worried about that," Compton said.
"I just had to hit my spots, get the right pitches and keep it in the field," she said.
Needles took a good swing at the fifth pitch, but it was never a problem for Glacier left fielder Anna Costa.
Glacier 6, Hellgate 1
Hellgate 000 000 1 - 1 7 1
Glacier 013 020 x - 6 7 2
Leyna Downey and Jessa Ouellette. Jessie Compton, Kendra Bouley (7), Jessie Compton (7) and Brittany Franklin. W - Compton. L - Downey.
Hellgate - Mac Schultz 2-3, Jenae White 2-4, Jessa Ouellette 0-4, Leyna Downey 2-4, McKaylen Albert 2-3, McKenna Gagner 1-4, Frankie Needles 0-3, Chelsea Shull 0-2, Hanna Cook 0-3.
2B - Schultz 2. RBI - Albert.
Glacier - Anna Costa 1-4, Shayna Atlee 0-1, Jena Willis 1-2, Brittany Franklin 3-3, Baylee Quay 0-2, Paige Latimer 0-2, Megan Connolly 2-3, Sabrina Kenfield 0-3, Kendra Bouley 0-3.
HR - Franklin. 2B - Franklin 2. RBI - Franklin 4, Connolly 2.
Glacier 5, Hellgate 2
Glacier 010 130 0 - 5 8 2
Hellgate 001 100 0 - 2 10 2
Jessie Compton and Brittany Franklin. Leyna Downey and Jessa Ouellette. W - Compton. L - Downey.
Glacier - Costa 3-4, S. Atlee 0-4, Willis 1-4, Franklin 1-2, Quay 1-3, Latimer 0-3, Connolly 1-3, Bouley 0-3, Hannah Atlee 1-3.
HR - Franklin. 3B - Quay. RBI - Franklin 1, Quay 3, Connolly 1.
Hellgate - Schultz 2-3, White 1-4, Downey 2-4, Ouellette 1-4, Gagner 0-4, Albert 0-1, Needles 1-4, Shull 1-3, Cook 2-3.
2B - Cook. RBI - White 1, Cook 1.