Softball: Wolfpack, Bravettes meet in crosstown twin bill
Coming into the first crosstown softball double-header of 2015, the Glacier Wolfpack and Flathead Bravettes are two teams with contrasting backgrounds.
On one side of the diamond is the the Glacier Wolfpack — a team with five seniors and a pair of 2-time all-state selections, looking for their third consecutive state tournament appearance.
In the opposing dugout sits the rebuilding Bravettes — a squad without a senior on the roster, searching for their first win of the season.
But the games aren’t played on paper.
Flathead (0-7 overall, 0-4 Western AA) may be young, but the talent is there and heading in the right direction. As first-year Bravettes head coach Tasia Gates sees it, her lack of seniors doesn’t mean she has a lack of leaders.
Third baseman Kylee Meredith currently leads the team with a .389 batting average, slugging two doubles, a triple and the lone Bravette home run in 2015.
“She’s definitely working on being more of a vocal leader,” Gates said. “Based on her intensity and work ethic she’s absolutely just a natural leader out there. Now she’s working on being a vocal leader. She’s stepping up, and it’s nice to see.”
Pitching duties have been split between sophomore-duo Kylee Beccari and Rebecca Knutson. The two have combined to strikeout 31 batters in 38 innings of work. Beccari has struck out 18 batters, averaging six put outs a game from the circle. Knutson has 13 strikeouts in 16 innings.
“Mentally, I can’t say enough about them,” Gates said. “They work hard everyday, and they’re just so solid for us. They bounce back. They do whatever I ask of them.
“We always focus on hitting, that’s a good primary focus for us. We’re also moving some girls around and getting them used to different positions, trying to put them in different situations that we think they need to learn from so when they’re in the game, they’re prepared.”
Prepartion is key when facing Wolfpack ace Ali Williams.
The junior pitcher, an all-state selection in 2013 and 2014, is putting up impressive numbers just six games into the season. With one no-hitter already under her belt this season, Williams has struck out 65 batters in 42 innings. That’s nearly 11 strikeouts a game. Her earned run average of 1.17 is the second-best ERA in the conference of pitchers over 15 innings.
“Ali is a competitor. I don’t think she ever wants to lose, but I was very impressed with the maturity she showed,” Glacier coach Andy Fors said. “To lose the opener against Capital and be able to bounce back and throw a no hitter against Helena, she definitely showed she’s put some time in this offseason,”
She’s no slouch in the box either.
Williams leads Glacier in batting average (.450), on-base percentage (.500), home runs (2) and doubles (4).
She’s not the only one doing work on the diamond for Glacier (5-1, 3-1).
Senior Kayla Russell is batting .435 on the year, collecting 10 hits in 23 at-bats. Fellow-senior Katie Wiley is just under the .400-mark, hitting .389 with a .667 slugging percentage.
“Kayla has done fantastic job of not only getting hits but having smart at-bats. She’s a seasoned, experienced player that knows what to do in that spot,” Fors said.
“(Katie) is one of those girls where her ability to make contact and her speed has paid off big time.
Sophomore Erin McHugh leads the team in RBIs. She has five hits on the year which have driven in eight runs.
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m., and Game 2 starts at 5.