Flathead breezes to sweep of Hellgate
MISSOULA — It snowed intermittently at the Rattlesnake Fields Saturday, but the Flathead Bravettes kept the baselines warm while sweeping a Western AA softball doubleheader from winless Missoula Hellgate.
Brianna Morales drove in three runs as Flathead won the first game 16-0, and Karissa Comer backed her own pitching with four RBI as the Bravettes won the nightcap 24-5.
Both games ended early under the mercy rule; Flathead improved to 5-11, 4-7 in league games and Hellgate fell to 0-17, 0-13.
A 10-run third inning, keyed by Morales’ 2-run single and RBI base hits from Macy Craver and Kaidyn Lake, set the tone in the first game. Alyssa Cadwalader walked four times and scored three runs in the opener. Laynee Vesser scored three runs as well.
Ilyssa Centner pitched all four innings for the win, allowing five hits and two walks and striking out seven.
In the nightcap Flathead sent 17 Bravettes to the plate in a 13-run first inning. Vesser hit a two-run single in the frame and Comer had two hits: A single and a bases-clearing triple.
Craver and Comer each had three hits, including a triple. Alyssa Cadwalader had a triple as well.
Comer’s pitching line was six hits and one walk allowed in five innings, with six strikeouts.
First game
Flathead 10(10) 5 - 16 8 1
Hellgate 000 0 - 0 5 6
Ilyssa Centner and Laynee Vesser. Madison Petrino, Delaney Laird (3) and Laird, Curley (3).
FLATHEAD — Macy Craver 1-3, Vesser 1-1, Alyssa Cadwalader 0-0, Brianna Morales 1-2, Centner 1-2, Karissa Comer 1-2, Kaidyn Lake 2-4, Alyssa Leimkuehler 0-4, Alyssa Poe-Hatten 0-3.
HELLGATE — Hadley Youbles 1-3, Laird 1-2, Petrino 0-1, Esther Boelman 0-1, Aspen Murphey 0-2, Shayelynn Huber 0-2, Keira Babbitt 2-2, Curley 0-2, Shoshannah Resner 1-2.
RBI — Morales 3, Lake 2, Centner, Vesser, Craver.
Second game
Hellgate 001 40 - 5 6 5
Flathead (13)25 4x - 24 15 2
Petrino, Laird (3) and Laird, Buelman (3). Comer and Vesser.
HELLGATE — Youbles 0-3, Laird 3-3, Petrino 2-2, Boelman 0-3, Emery Giroud 0-3, Babbitt 0-3, Resner 0-2, Curley 1-2, Claire Kinderwater 0-2.
FLATHEAD — Craver 3-3, Vesser 2-3, Cadwalader 1-3, Morales 1-3, Centner 2-5, Comer 3-5, Lake 2-4, Leimkuehler 0-1, Gracie Morton 0-2, Poe-Hatten 1-2.
2B —Laird, Petrino, Craver. 3B —Craver, Cadwalader, Comer. HR — Laird. RBI — Laird 2, Petrino, Comer 4, Lake 2, Morales 2, Cadwalader 2, Vesser 2, Craver 2, Poe-Hatten.