SOFTBALL: Glacier, Flathead softball set for Thursday doubleheader
<p>Glacier's Ali Williams winds up for a pitch against Missoula Big Sky at Kidsports Complex in this file photo. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
<p>Flathead shortstop Abbie O'Brien fires to first base as Polson's Laurel Bitterman (6) slides into second during an attempt at a double play in this file photo. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
One team’s the defending Class AA state champion and the other hasn’t won a game all season.
That doesn’t mean the rivalry will be any less intense at this afternoon’s crosstown softball doubleheader, beginning at 3 p.m. at Boyle Field at the Conrad Complex.
Glacier (4-3, 3-1 Western AA) has had an up-and-down defense of the 2015 state championship and is coming off a split last weekend in Helena. The Wolfpack downed Helena Capital 5-1 before being shut out, 2-0, in eight innings by conference-leading Helena High.
“The softball season goes by so quickly that it’s important that early on we’re taking advantage of these games and these opportunities to grow and improve,” Glacier coach Andy Fors said. “I’m pleased with what I’ve seen.”
The Wolfpack still boast one of the state’s best players in senior pitcher Ali Williams. The Carroll College commit is 4-2 in the circle with a 0.61 ERA, and her peripheral numbers are even more dominant. In 46 innings, Williams has allowed only 18 hits and 13 walks, and she’s struck out more than 45 percent of the batters she’s faced, 84 in total.
Williams has thrived at the plate, too, batting .455 with four of the team’s five home runs and sophomore Alivia Atlee has provided added offensive punch for the Wolfpack, boasting a team-leading .476 batting average and three doubles.
Consistency, however, has been hard to come by as Glacier works to incorporate several new players into the lineup.
“Having graduated the seniors we did last year, we’re still trying to find what fits these girls,” Fors said. “It’s a different team. We’ve seen some good things offensively and we just need to find what fits best.”
Flathead (0-7, 0-4) lost twice in the state capital last weekend, but the results were encouraging for third-year Bravettes coach Tasia Gates. Flathead led into the sixth inning against Helena High before falling 7-5 and took an early lead before losing 11-5 to Capital.
“I want to win because I’m super competitive but I was impressed with how we competed,” she said.
“They were fighting. Every inning they were still looking ahead and not giving up and that’s different for us.”
Flathead will start with Kylee Beccari in the circle, and her resiliency will be key against Glacier’s lineup.
“The pitcher, they carry the weight of the game on their shoulders,” Gates said. “They feel the pressure.
“A key thing is staying mentally tough every pitch. If they get a hit you’ve got to recover and get to that next pitch immediately.”
Today’s games are the first of four the two teams will play this year. Flathead and Glacier will play two at Kidsports on May 12 to conclude the regular season.