Softball: Glacier slides by 'Kats

Class AA Glacier overcame a three-run deficit to defeat Class A Columbia Falls 5-3 in a nonconference softball game at Kidsports Complex Friday.

The Wolfpack (4-2) rallied with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and pitcher Ali Williams followed with four hitless innings to close out the victory.

“We were expecting a good game,” Williams said. “I think we started off a little slow, but we eventually brought it and played a good game.”

Williams pitched all seven innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out nine.

Ashley Trueblood had the only hard hit for Columbia Falls (2-2), blasting a changeup off the center-field fence for a double. The other two hits were infield singles.

“(Williams) did a good job of bringing it right at them,” Glacier coach Andy Fors said. “She hit her spots and she did a good job with offspeed to keep them a little bit off-balance.”

A costly error led to Glacier’s big inning. With two outs and a runner on second base, Anna Jenks hit a routine grounder to shortstop Tiffany Hummer, but Hummer’s throw was in the dirt, allowing Williams to score from second and keeping the inning alive. Taylor Riggles followed with a line-drive double to the left-center-field gap and third baseman Jena Willis pulled the first pitch she saw down the third-base line for a 2-RBI double that gave the Wolfpack a 4-3 lead.

Willis and Williams each finished with two hits in three at bats. As a team, Glacier tallied nine hits against Trueblood, who struck out seven and walked one.

“Columbia Falls is a great team and we knew that we had to play ball,” Willis said. “It’s a good win.”

Two Glacier errors contributed to Columbia Falls’ three-run second inning. Catie King followed Trueblood’s double with a dribbler up the third-base line, but Willis’ throw to first was late and wide, allowing a courtesy runner to score on the error. Ciarra Holm followed with a sacrifice bunt, but reached on a fielding error. Winter Kemppainen’s RBI-groundout drove in King and Holm scored on a wild pitch.

“They’re a pretty young team and they’re just still learning,” Fors said. “I think resilient is a great word for them. Even in an inning like (the second) where we strung those errors together and gave them three runs, I didn’t see it on their faces. They just shook it off and kept playing, and they held them scoreless for the rest of the game.

“Sometimes with certain teams those errors can turn into the feel or the tempo for the rest of the game and I thought they just shook it off and got it done.”

Glacier tacked on one more run in the fifth inning when Marysa Rogozynki singled to drive in Hannah Atlee.

Columbia Falls coach Dave Kehr lamented his team’s lack of offensive production.

“We just couldn’t hit,” he said. “I don’t know what the story with that was, but that’s pretty much the game. A little bit of short game got us some runs, but other than that we didn’t do much at the plate, that’s for sure.”

Columbia Falls defeated Glacier 8-7 in the teams’ only meeting last year.

Glacier, which leads Western AA with a 3-0 record, continues conference play today with a home doubleheader against Helena Capital (2-2 overall, 0-0 Western AA) and Helena High (3-3, 1-1).

“From what we’ve seen, the West is wide open and (today) we have two really good tests to see where we fall with everybody else in the conference,” Fors said.

Columbia Falls hosts Flathead in a nonconference game on Tuesday.

Columbia Falls0300000—334

Glacier000410X—594

Ashley Trueblood and Breanna Friar, Courtney Murray (5). Ali Williams and Hannah Atlee. W - Williams. L - Trueblood.

COLUMBIA FALLS - Tiffany Hummer 0-3, Carlee Brown 1-2, Kathrin Jetty 0-3, Ashley Trueblood 1-3, Catie King 1-3, Ciarra Holm 0-2, Winter Kemppainen 0-2, Lauren Fields 0-1, Amanda Morrison 0-2, Alex Peterson 0-1, Breanna Friar 0-2.

GLACIER - Jena Willis 2-4, Kayla Russell 0-3, Katie McHugh 2-4, Kaykeena Ikeda 0-4, Ali Williams 2-3, Hannah Atlee 1-3, Marysa Rogozynski 1-2, Anna Jenks 0-3, Taylor Riggles 1-3.

2B - Trueblood; Willis, Williams, Riggles, Atlee. RBI - Kemppainen; Willis 2, McHugh, Rogozynski.