Quick start lifts Knights

The Missoula Hellgate Knights scored five runs in the first inning — four with two outs — and claimed a 7-4 Western AA softball victory over the host Glacier Wolfpack (1-8, 1-5) on Thursday.

“We were competitive. But we let them get too big a lead right off the bat. Credit to them. They put the ball in play,” said Glacier coach Joel Bemis.

“We could have been out of the inning with one run,” he said.

The Wolfpack battled back, though.

Down 7-0 going into the third, Glacier chipped away with a run in each of the next four innings.

“We didn’t quit and that’s what we ask of them,” the coach said.

Katie McHugh was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Jena Willis was 2-for-3 with a double and Brooke Wiley was 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.

The problem was that Glacier couldn’t string the hits together.

“We have to be consistent from inning to inning,” he said.

“But we had some great efforts.”

Bemis complimented McHugh and Wiley both — for both their defensive play and their prowess at the plate.

Hellgate 7, Glacier 4

Hellgate 520 000 0 — 791

Glacier 001 111 0 — 481

Makaya Resner and Allie Allen. Jena Willis and Hannah Atlee. W — Resnar. L — Willis.

Hellgate — Jenae White 1-4, Allen 1-4, Mac Schultz 2-3, Hannah Cook 2-3, K. Waletzka 1-4, Talley Hill 0-3, McKaylen Albert 0-3, Resner 1-3, McKenna Gagner 1-2.

HR — Cook; 2B — Gagner. RBI — Cook 3, Albert 1, Resner 2.

Glacier — Jena Willis 2-3, Kayla Russell 0-4, Shayna Atlee 0-4, Katie McHugh 3-4, Hannah Atlee 0-4, Marissa Rogo 1-3, Brooke Wiley 1-3, Callie Evans 0-2, Taylor Riggles 1-3.

2B — Willis. HR — Wiley. RBI — McHugh 2, Wiley 1, Riggles 1