'Pack reigns on Flathead's senior day
Flathead’s Kaileigh Denna steals second base as Glacier shortstop Jennifer Wallace bobbles the throw at Kidsports Complex on Thursday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier celebrates at home plate after Maddie Johnson’s solo home run in the third inning against Flathead at Kidsports Complex on Thursday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier pitcher Sage Vanterpool delivers a pitch in the first inning against Flathead on Thursday at Kidsports Complex. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead pitcher Maitlynn Betts delivers a pitch in the first inning against Glacier at Kidsports Complex on Thursday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier’s Kynzie Mohl scores on an RBI single by Addie Labrum in the first inning against Flathead at Kidsports Complex on Thursday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier shortstop Jennifer Wallace throws to first on a groundball in the third inning against Flathead on Thursday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier’s Addie Labrum connects on an RBI single in the first inning against Flathead at Kidsports Complex on Thursday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier’s Allee Meyer connects on 2-run home run in the second inning against Flathead at Kidsports Complex on Thursday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead’s Hailey Junk connects on a 2-run home run in the first inning against Glacier at Kidsports Complex on Thursday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier celebrates after Allee Meyer’s 2-run home run in the second inning against Flathead at Kidsports Complex on Thursday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead’s Kaileigh Denna steals second base as Glacier shortstop Jennifer Wallace bobbles the throw at Kidsports Complex on Thursday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead shortstop Riley Chouinard looks to throw to first on a ground ball in the third inning against Glacier. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Only an inning into her start, Sage Vanterpool had already encountered plenty of adversity.
A lightning delay threw off the Glacier sophomore’s warm-up routine, and Flathead’s Hailey Junk launched a two-run home run to left-center field in Vanterpool’s first inning of work.
Once the Wolfpack’s starter settled in, however, she was nearly untouchable.
Vanterpool allowed only one more hit in the final four frames as Glacier spoiled Flathead’s senior day with a 13-3, run-rule victory in five innings on a dreary and damp Thursday afternoon at Kidsports Complex. The Wolfpack won the back end of the split bill 16-2 behind another dominant outing from Vanterpool.
“She definitely has a lot of resilience,” Glacier coach Abby Connolly said. “I would say we’re a team that’s built on a lot of resilience. We know that we can score a lot of runs in an inning, so I think that has helped us not get rattled no matter what.”
After Flathead (4-15 overall, 2-10 Western AA) tied the game on Junk’s home run, the Glacier offense erupted for seven runs in the next half-inning to give Vanterpool ample cushion. Eight consecutive Wolfpack (11-7, 7-5 Western AA) batters reached base during the second-inning rally.
Addie Labrum drove in two with a single, and Alivia Atlee delivered a two-run double two batters later. Allee Meyer drove the next pitch over the center-field fence for a three-run homer that served as the exclamation point on the offensive explosion.
“Hitting’s definitely contagious,” Connolly said. “You see your teammate get up there and get a hit; you definitely then have the confidence.”
The run-scoring bonanza poured over into Game 2, as the Glacier bats cranked four home runs and posted nine runs in the final two innings to run away with another victory.
Five Wolfpack sluggers combined for six home runs in the doubleheader. Glacier entered the day with 12 home runs in 16 games this season.
“We didn’t really give them anything; they earned it,” Flathead coach Jack Foster said.
“They hit the ball, and they hit it hard.”
Labrum, who was 7 for 9 on the afternoon, launched a two-run home run to center field in the first inning to jump-start Glacier in Game 2.
Maddie Johnson followed with her second solo home run of the day in the third inning, and Atlee capped a stellar day at the plate with a three-run blast in the sixth. Atlee totaled five hits and 10 RBIs in the final regular-season action of her career.
Vanterpool once again encountered little resistance in the circle, allowing just two runs on four hits while striking out seven in another complete-game effort.
Junk drove in both Flathead runs in Game 2 with a fourth-inning home run. The senior outfielder’s two four-baggers on the day were the first of her softball career.
“And it’s on senior day, so that makes it kind of cool,” Foster said.
The regular season is over for both teams, but the crosstown rivals are not done with each other quite yet.
With its Game 1 win, Glacier clinched the No. 3 seed in the Western AA conference. The Wolfpack will face Flathead, the No. 6 seed, in a best-of-3 series at Glacier High School next Thursday with a state tournament berth on the line. Game 1 is scheduled for 2 p.m. with Game 2 to follow around 4 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, is set for 6 p.m.
“(Clinching the No. 3 seed is) awesome,” Connolly said. “Right now, we just start preparing for the postseason. We’re just working hard to get back to the state tournament.”
Glacier 273 01 — 13 15 1
Flathead 201 00 — 3 3 1
WP — Sage Vanterpool. LP — Maitlynn Betts.
GLACIER — Kynzie Mohl 2-3, Addie Labrum 3-4, Sophie Smith 2-4, Alivia Atlee 3-4, Allee Meyer 1-3, Hallie Nikunen 1-3, Sage Vanterpool 0-2, Maddie Johnson 2-3, Meg Hornby 1-3.
FLATHEAD — Riley Chouinard 0-2, Kayla Kallis 0-3, Kaileigh Denna 2-3, Hailey Junk 1-2, Karissa Comer 0-2, Allyssa Cadwalader 0-2, Maitlynn Betts 0-2, Kate Smith 0-1, Kyann Devera 0-2.
2B — Mohl, Atlee 2. Denna. HR — Meyer, Johnson. Junk. RBI — Labrum 3, Atlee 5, Meyer 2, Johnson. Junk 2, Denna.
Glacier 203 114 5 — 16 15 1
Flathead 000 200 0 — 2 4 3
WP — Sage Vanterpool. LP — Maitlynn Betts.
GLACIER — Kynzie Mohl 3-5, Addie Labrum 4-5, Allee Meyer 1-5, Alivia Atlee 2-4, Maddie Johnson 2-5, Hallie Nikunen 0-5, Sage Vanterpool 2-3, Jenn Wallace 0-3, Meg Hornby 1-4.
FLATHEAD — Riley Chouinard 0-3, Kayla Kallis 1-3, Kaleigh Denna 1-2, Hailey Junk 1-2, Karissa Comer 1-3, Maitlynn Betts 0-3, Haylee Learn 0-3, Ilyssa Centner 0-3, Kyann Devera 0-3.
2B — Meyer, Hornby. HR — Mohl, Atlee, Johnson, Labrum. Junk. RBI — Mohl 2, Labrum 3, Atlee 5, Johnson 2, Hornby 2. Junk 2.