Softball: Bravettes triumph

Don’t count out the Flathead Bravettes.

Earning their first win of the softball season on a seventh-inning walk-off single by Kaycee Smith, the Bravettes scored seven runs in the final inning — four with two outs — to complete a miraculous comeback in their 12-11 victory against Western AA foe Missoula Hellgate at Conrad Complex on Saturday.

Flathead (1-9 overall, 1-5 Western AA) trailed early when Hellgate (1-9, 0-5) scored four runs in the top of the first on Sierrah Hardy’s grand slam.

The Bravettes erased the deficit in the bottom of the fourth, scoring two runs to tie the game at 5-all, but the Knights put six more across the plate over the next three innings, including three in the top of the sixth on Korey Waletzko’s three-run homer.

Trailing 11-5 with three outs to play, the Bravettes batted around the order, allowing Smith, a sophomore, to slap the ball to right field for the game- winning hit.

“I just tried to tell the girls to stay away from the desperation — just see it and hit it — and that’s exactly what they did,” Bravettes coach Tasia Gates said. “I saw Kaycee go up and take a couple deep breaths. I told her just go up and hit.”

Smith finished 2 for 4 with a team-high three RBIs. Kylee Meredith also went 2 for 4 as did Mikaila Jorgenson. Jorgenson and Grace Cady drove in two runs each.

“They’re working to keep themselves in it and not rolling over or giving up. I credit the girls for keeping their heads up. They’re battling. They’re taking the challenge upon themselves as far as keeping their heads up and battling.”

The Bravettes have a nonconference game Tuesday at Libby at 6 p.m.

Hellgate    400    123    1    —    11    11    3

Flathead    102    200    7    —    12    14    4

Talley Hill and Sierrah Hardy. Kylee Beccari and Abbie O’Brien.  L — Hill. ND — Beccari.

HELLGATE — Callie McKillop 3-5, Hill 3-4, Adessa Gagner 0-3, Hardy 2-4, Korey Waletzko 1-3, Goose Swanson 1-4, Elise Marquardt 1-4, Allison High 0-4, Katie Packard 0-3.

FLATHEAD — O’Brien 2-5, Grace Cady 1-4, Kaycee Smith 2-4, Kylee Meredith 2-4, Torgerson 2-3, Kylee Beccari 1-3, Bailey Nunn 0-3, Dana VanLuven 2-4, Mikaila Jorgenson 2-4.

2B — Meredith. HR — Hardy, Waletzko. RBIs — McKillop, Hill, Hardy 4, Waletzko 3, Swanson, Marquardt, High; Cady 2, Smith 3, Meredith, Torgerson, VanLuven, Jorgenson 2.

Glacier 6-6, Butte 2-5

BUTTE — The Glacier Wolfpack cruised in the opener, 6-2, before holding off a pesky Butte Bulldogs squad in the night cap, 6-5, for a nonconference doubleheader sweep.

Ali Williams stuck out 11 in Game 1 while going 2 for 2 from the plate with a home run and a double.

Glacier (10-1, 5-1) scored three runs in the top of the seventh in Game 2, breaking a 3-3 tie. Butte scored two in the bottom half, but Erin McHugh, who went the distance in the circle and hit a home run, retired the side for the win.

Game 1

Glacier    211    010    1    —    6    8    1

Butte    000    002    0    —    2    4    1

Ali Williams and Christine Connolly; Katlyn O’Brien and Maria Michelotti. W — Williams, L — O’Brien.

GLACIER — Christina DuFour 1-3, Kayla Russell 1-4, Ali Williams 2-2, Erin McHugh 2-2, Mackenzie Brester-Knight 0-2, Kayleena Ikeda 0-3, Ali Newton 1-3, Christine Connolly 0-3, Katie Wiley 0-3.

BUTTE — Ashten McCloskey 0-3, Kennedi Ferriter 1-4, Maria Michelotti 2-3, Amanda Spear 0-1, Bethany McLean 0-2, Justyce Connole 0-3, Katelyn Alley 0-3, Isabelle Bonney 0-3, Jenna Walker 1-3.

 2B — Williams, Ali Newton, Kayla Russell; Jenna Walker. HR — Williams. RBIs — Erin McHugh 3, Williams, Katie Wiley; Michelotti, Bethany McLean.

Game 2

Glacier    101    100    3    —    6    7    2

Butte    100    020    2    —    5    9    3

Erin McHugh and Christine Connolly; Kaidy McClafferty and Maria Michelotti. W — McHugh, L — McClafferty.

GLACIER — DuFour 1-2, Russell 1-4, Williams 1-3, McHugh 1-4, Brester-Knight 1-4, Ikeda 0-3, Newton 0-1, Alivia Atlee 0-1, Connolly 1-3, Wiley 1-3.

BUTTE — McCloskey 1-3, Ferriter 3-4, Michelotti 0-3, Spear 1-3, McLean 0-1, Ellie Hoffenbacker 1-2, Connole 0-2, Brianna Ossello 0-2, Katelyn Alley 0-2, Madison Joseph 1-1, Isabelle Bonney 0-3, Walker 0-1, Tristan Walks 2-2.

2B — Madison Joseph, Ferriter. HR — McHugh; Kennedi Ferriter, Walks;  RBI — McHugh 2, Williams, Connolly; Ferriter 2, Walks 2.

Polson 22, Corvallis 1

POLSON — Polson scored 20 runs in the third inning, batting around twice in a Class A nonconference rout of Corvallis.

Hannah Potter went 3 for 4 from the plate and Skyla Krantz was 2 for 3, each with three RBIs for the Pirates. Polson had 19 hits in the contest.

Corvallis    001    00    —    1    7    11

Polson    0(20)0    2x    —    22    19    2

Taylor Gagnon and Taia Tully. Haley Fyant, Camas Renault (3) and Sarah Rausch, Ashley Benson (3). W — Fyant. L — Gagnon.

CORVALLIS — Tully 1-3, Kambrey Powell 0-3, Gagnon 1-2, Hannah Brown 0-3, Kira Doyle 1-2, Bobbie Stephen 2-2, Sydonia Curtis 1-2, Meghan Jessop 0-1, K Field 0-1, Nicole Turner 2-2.

POLSON — Jaiden Toth 4-5, Kaelen Wall 1-4, Kaelyn Smith 2-4, Taylor Brackey 3-4, Hannah Potter 3-4, Benson 2-4, Lydia Dupuis 2-4, Rausch 0-2, Skyla Krantz 2-3, Natalie Slonaker 0-1.

2B — Smith, Potter 2. 3B — Tully, Turner. Toth, Wall. RBIs — Tully. Toth, Wall, Smith, Potter 3, Rausch 2, Krantz 3.

Florence 12-15,

Eureka 2-5

EUREKA — Florence swept Eureka, winning 12-2 in the opener and 15-5 in Game 2.

Eureka catcher Stacy Cooper collected four hits on the day. She went 2 for 3 in Game 1 and 2 for 4 in Game 2.

Rilee Morgan drove in three runs total. She had two RBIs during her 3 for 3 effort in Game 2.

Florence    064    20    —    12    10    1

Eureka    000    02    —    2    5    3

Megan Byrne and Kristyne Drozdz. Laura Williams, Erynn Thier (4) and Stacy Cooper. W — Byrne. L — Williams.

FLORENCE — Holly Hale 2-3, Natalie Drozdz 2-4, Megan Byrne 2-3, Micayla Cole 1-3, Kali Leibenguth 0-3, Jewel Zeiler 0-1, Sarah Schurg 1-2, Ashley Hornaday 0-1, Lily Sage 0-4, Shay Wadlbillig 1-1, K. Drozdz 1-2.

EUREKA — Thier 0-3, Cooper 2-3, Evynn Anderson 1-3, Courtney Lemer 0-2, Nicole Anderson 0-2, Haley Lindgren 0-1, Ashlyn Waldo 0-1, Williams 1-1, Bailey Bishop 1-1, Charity Parsons 0-2, Rilee Morgan 1-2.

2B — Byrne. RBIs — Hale, Byrne 3, Cole, Leibenguth, Schurg, K. Drozdz; Thier, Morgan.

Second game

Eureka    000    140    —    5    7    7

Florence    203    262    —    15    10    5

Thier and Cooper, Morgan (6). Schurg, Waldbillig (6) and Josie McCann. W — Schurg. L — Thier.

EUREKA — Thier 0-4, Cooper 2-4, E. Anderson 1-2, Lemer 0-4, N. Anderson 0-3, Parsons 1-2, Morgan 3-3, Waldo 0-3, Bishop 0-3.

FLORENCE — Hale 2-3, Zeiler 0-0, N. Drozdz 1-2, Hornaday 0-0, Byrne 4-4, Sage 0-0, Cole 1-3, McCann 2-3, Schurg 0-4, Leibenguth 0-2, Destini Greer 0-1, Waldbillig 0-4, K. Drozdz 0-2, Brooklyn Little 0-1.

2B — Byrne, 3B — McCann. RBIs — Parsons 2, Morgan 2; Hale, N. Drozdz 2, Byrne 3, McCann 2, Schurg, Leibenguth.