Softball roundup: Wolfpack win 3 out of 4; young Bravettes go 0-4
GREAT FALLS — The Glacier Wolfpack and Flathead Bravettes both kicked off the 2015 softball season at the Great Falls Jamboree on Saturday with contrasting results.
The Wolfpack finished undefeated, winning three games after tying the opener against Billings West.
After the 3-3 draw with the Golden Bears, Glacier won its next two contests by one run. The Wolfpack edged Bozeman, 7-6, and eked out a 8-7 victory over Billings Skyview.
The Wolfpack’s final contest was hardly as nerve-wracking. Glacier shutout Great Falls C.M. Russell, 5-0.
“The Jamboree is a great day of softball,” Glacier coach Andy Fors said.
“It’s a great day for coaches to throw athletes at different positions and let them play. We we’re proud of the girls. It was a good showing for us and we saw a lot of good things from them.”
The Bravettes lost four games on the day, falling to CMR, 13-4, in Game 1 and Great Falls, 13-0 in Game 2. Flathead was also shut out by Butte, 6-0, before scoring their tournament-high six runs in an 11-6 loss to Laurel.
“We’re young. We’re a very young team this year,” Flathead coach Tasia Gates said.
“We’re really focusing on building our program. It was good to see them get out there and compete.”
The Bravettes are back in action on Thursday for their home opener at Conrad Complex against Frenchtown at 5 p.m.
Glacier will head back to Great Falls for two more matchups against the Bison, noon, and Rustlers, 2 p.m., on Friday.
Game 1
Great Falls CMR 13, Flathead 4
Great Falls High 2, Missoula Sentinel 2
Missoula Hellgate 3, Butte 0
Missoula Big Sky 4, Laurel 0
Billings Senior 6, Helena High 4
Billings West 3, Glacier 3
Helena Capital 6, Billings Skyview 5
Bozeman 6, Havre 4
Game 2
Great Falls High 13, Flathead 0
Missoula Sentinel 4, Butte High 2
Laurel 11, Missoula Hellgate 2
Missoula Big Sky 5, Billings Senior 2
Billings West 1, Helena High 0
Glacier 7, Bozeman 6
Great Falls CMR 9, Helena Capital 0
Billings Skyview 13, Havre 2
Game 3
Butte 6, Flathead 0
Missoula Sentinel 8, Laurel 3
Billings Senior 2, Missoula Hellgate 0
Billings West 5, Missoula Big Sky 3
Bozeman 1, Helena High 1
Glacier 8, Billings Skyview 7
Great Falls High 5, Helena Capital 3
Great Falls CMR 20, Havre 3
Game 4
Laurel 11, Flathead 6
Missoula Sentinel 12, Billings Senior 1
Billings West 10, Missoula Hellgate 2
Missoula Big Sky 7, Bozeman 5
Helena High 3, Billings Skyview 1
Glacier 5, Great Falls CMR 0
Helena Capital 11, Butte 0
Great Falls High 8, Havre 1
Polson picks up 2 softball wins
POLSON — Polson relied on the strong pitching of Camas Renault and the hitting of Taylor Brackey to open the Class A softball season Saturday with two nonconference victories.
Polson gave up four runs in the first inning but bounced back to beat Butte Central 7-4 in the first game.
The Pirates followed with an 8-2 victory over Anaconda.
“For a young, inexperienced pitcher, I thought she did a good job for us,” veteran Polson coach Larry Smith said.
Brackey went 2-for-3 at the plate in both games. She doubled in the second game along with Skyla Krantz.
Sarah Rausch doubled for Polson against Butte Central while Krantz tripled.
Butte Central 400 000 0 — 4 6 0
Polson 000 232 x — 7 7 2
Teresa Piazzola and Corbyn Holm; Camas Renault and Sarah Rausch. W — Renault. L — Piazzola.
BUTTE CENTRAL — Shawne Hjelp 1-3, Emily St. John 0-2, Kloie Thatcher 0-3, Mollie Peoples 2-4, Taylor Wahl 1-3, Holm 2-4, Piazzola 0-4, Megan Michelotti 0-3, McKenzie Gallagher 0-3.
POLSON — Jaiden Toth 1-3, Kaelen Wall 1-4, Kaelyn Smith 0-2, Hannah Potter 0-4, Taylor Brackey 2-3, Rausch 1-2, Ashley Benson 1-3, Lydia Dupuis 0-3, Skyla Krantz 1-2.
2B—Hjelp, Holm (2); Rausch; 3B—Krantz; RBIs—Holm (2); Wall (2).
Anaconda 001 001 0 — 2 2 2
Polson 010 250 x — 8 8 0
Andi Mavrinac and Hannah Schaeffer; Renault, Haley Fyant (7) and Rausch. W — Renault. L — Mavrinac.
ANACONDA — Lacee Moodry 0-3, Schaeffer 1-2, Kassie Flores 0-3, Michaela Cartright 0-2, Shea Forsberg 0-3, Mavrinac 1-3, Shelbie Roche 0-3, Kristy Hayden 0-2, Brooke Worl 0-2.
POLSON — Toth 1-3, Wall 1-4, Smith 0-2, Potter 1-4, Brackey 2-3, Rausch 1-3, Benson 0-3, Dupuis 1-3, Krantz 1-2.
2B—Brackey, Krantz; RBIs—Mavrinac, Worl; Brackey, Rausch, Dupuis, Krantz (2).
Columbia Falls upends Maroons
POLSON — Alysha Cantu, a senior infielder, homered and drove in three runs to help Columbia Falls upend Butte Central 5-3 on Saturday in Class A nonconference softball play.
Carlee Brown and Ashley Trueblood both went 2 for 3 for the victorious Wildkats.
Trueblood was also the winning pitcher.
The Maroons held a 1-0 lead through three innings.
Columbia Falls finally broke through with three runs in the fourth.
The Wildkats added a run in the fifth and sixth innings.
Butte Central completed its scoring with two runs in the top of the seventh.
The Maroons outhit the Wildkats 12-7. Kloie Thatcher led the attack, going 3 for 4. Emily St. John, Corbyn Holm and Megan Michelotti had two hits each for Butte Central.
Columbia Falls thumped Anaconda 17-0 in the other outing (stats not available).
Columbia Falls is back in action with home games on April 6 versus Glacier and April 7 versus Polson.
Butte Central 100 000 2 — 3 12 1
Columbia Falls 000 311 x — 5 7 0
W — Ashley Trueblood, L — McKenzie Gallagher.
BUTTE CENTRAL — Shawne Hjelt 0-1, Emily St. John 2-4, Kloie Thatcher 3-4, Mollie Peoples 1-4, Taylor Wahl 1-3, Corbyn Holm 2-4, Megan Michelotti 2-4, Kassidy Criscuolo 1-3, Desiree Blunt 0-2, McKenzie Gallagher 0-3.
COLUMBIA FALLS — Carlee Brown 2-3, Madi Fetters 0-3, Ashley Trueblood 2-3, Breanna Friar 1-2, Lottie Ellis 0-1, Alysha Cantu 1-3, Katie Price 0-3, Samantha Collins 1-3, Kaitlyn Hoerner 0-3.
2B — Thatcher, Peoples, Michelotti; HR — Cantu; RBI — Peoples, Wahl, Holm; Cantu (3), Collins, Trueblood.