State AA softball: Butte upends Glacier

BILLINGS - Kendra Bouley singled and scored, but it wasn't quite enough for the Glacier Wolfpack softball team on Thursday.

The Wolfpack fell 3-1 to Eastern AA Butte in the first round of the Class AA state tournament.

"We were just too slow starting. I thought defensively, we were solid," said Glacier coach Joel Bemis.

"We had some great efforts from first baseman Kendra (Bouley), shortstop Paige (Latimer) and outfielder Anna (Costa).

Glacier got off to a rough start - it walked in one run in the first inning - but then settled in defensively.

The problem was the offense. Glacier had just three hits for the game.

"We competed, but we had a hard time getting on their pitcher (Jaimee Paffhausen). She's the real deal. I don't think we've seen a pitcher throw that hard and that accurately," Bemis said.

"We started hitting her in the fifth, but in the first four innings we couldn't touch her. We hardly even put it into play," the coach said.

Butte didn't have many hits itself - just four - but it made Glacier play for the few mistakes it made. The Bulldogs got another run in the sixth inning off a Wolfpack error.

"I kind of feel we gave them a couple of runs," Bemis said.

The Wolfpack (12-10) plays at noon today against Helena Capital, which was upset 10-9 by Billings Senior in the first round.

"It's do or die now," Bemis said.

"We've played (the Bruins) pretty well (Capital defeated Glacier 5-4 on April 30 in Helena), so I think we'll be okay. We'll regroup and do what we can do," Bemis said.

Missoula Sentinel was the lone Western AA team to win a first-round game. The Spartans blanked Billings Skyview 8-0.

Billings West edged Missoula Big Sky 1-0 in the other game.

Glacier 000 001 0 - 1 3 2

Butte 110 001 x - 3 4 0

Jessie Compton and Brittany Franklin. Jaimee Paffhausen and Shandy Holm. W - Paffhausen. L - Compton.

Glacier - Anna Costa 0-2, Shayna Atlee 1-3, Jena Willis 1-3, Brittany Franklin 0-3, Baylee Quay 0-3, Paige Latimer 0-3, Megan Connolly 0-2, Kendra Bouley 1-2, Sabrina Kenfield 0-1.

RBI - Atlee 1.

Butte - Hattie Thatcher 1-4, Calley Bosch 1-2, Alex Thatcher 1-3, Paffhausen 0-2, Jaci Hanley 0-3, Baylee Thatcher 0-2, Holm 0-2, H. Hailey Hoa gland 0-2, Maria Robinson 1-2.

RBI - H. Thatcher 1, B. Thatcher 1.