SOFTBALL: Williams perfect in Glacier rout of Hellgate

Perfect looked pretty routine for Glacier pitcher Ali Williams.

The Wolfpack ace never let a ball leave the infield against Missoula Hellgate on Friday at Kidsports Complex, throwing 16 strikeouts in the first perfect game in school history.

Glacier won the Western AA softball contest 8-0.

“I didn’t even realize I was throwing a perfect game until, like, the sixth inning,” Williams said of her flawless outing.

“The last batter was almost a walk and I got really nervous. It’s really exciting. It hasn’t been a goal for me, but obviously doing it is awesome.”

Williams sat down all 21 batters she faced in the contest, at one point striking out nine consecutive Knights.

The rest of the team backed her up at the plate, putting runs on the board early to get in front of Hellgate.

Williams scored the first run of the game, reaching base on a walk to lead off the top of the first, on an Erin McHugh single. The Wolfpack scored three more in the second inning and another in the fourth when McHugh again poked a single to right center to give Glacier a 5-0 lead.

Hellgate couldn’t do much to answer, struggling to even make contact on offense. The most the Knights could muster in the first three innings was two groundouts to Williams in the circle and a popout to third base. Williams struck out the entire order in the next three innings.

With the Knights inserting a new pitcher in the sixth, Glacier put two on base for Emma Shew, who flied a three-run homer to right field to increase the lead to 8-0.

Williams needed just 11 pitches to retire the final three batters, forcing short popups in the first two at bats and striking out the final Knight.

The perfect outing is one of just a handful recorded in state history, giving Williams another line for her impressive resume.

“I didn’t think about it until the seventh inning when I heard someone say something,” Glacier coach Andy Fors said. “At that point I got a little nervous for her. Shoot, first one in Glacier history, first one for her. That was pretty impressive to watch.”

While the outing was the first perfect game of her career, it’s among a litany of impressive feats. The Carroll College signee threw five no-hitters last season and already has two in 2016. The 16 strikeouts in Friday’s game weren’t even her high this season, striking out 17 against fellow Class AA title contenders Missoula Big Sky earlier this month.

And she’s only warming up. In her last 19 innings, Williams has 41 strikeouts.

“To be honest, it seemed like another game for us here,” Fors said. “When we figured out what was going on at the end it made it a little bit more special. We’ve watched how effective she can be in the circle and she kinda does it day-in and day-out. I’m proud of her. It’s nice to see her go seven innings and get the perfect game.”

The win also marked a resurgence for the Glacier offense, which lost a 3-2 game to Flathead in the nightcap of Thursday’s doubleheader, and has been inconsistent at the plate this year.

“I think it’s good for the whole team,” Williams said. “We gained a little bit more confidence with our hitting. We got the bat on the ball a bit more. I think for everyone it was a better game for us.”

Glacier’s game against Butte scheduled for today has been cancelled because of inclement weather.

Hellgate 000 000 0 — 0 0 0

Glacier 130 103 x — 8 10 0

Calli McKillop, Allison High (6) and Sierrah Hardy. Ali Williams and Christine Connolly. W—Williams. L—McKillop.

HELLGATE — Hardy 0-3, McKillop 0-3, High 0-3, Korey Waletzko 0-2, Maiti Anderson 0-2, Haleigh Irwin 0-2, Dusty Calouri 0-2, Elise Marquardt 0-2, Katie Packard 0-2.

GLACIER — Williams 0-1, Meg Hornby 1-3, Erin McHugh 3-4, Alivia Atlee 0-2, Anna Schrade 0-2, Serra Monroe 0-1, Kali Gulick 1-1, Emma Shew 2-4, Madison Johnson 1-4, Sarah Stern 0-4, Christina DuFour 2-2.