Glacier surges past Flathead

First the Flathead Bravettes had a big inning, and then the Glacier Wolfpack had a bigger one.

When the mud settled, Glacier had a rainy crosstown softball win Thursday, 17-6 over the Bravettes on the Wolfpack’s field.

Glacier combined 10 hits — including home runs from Alli Kernan and Sammie Labrum — with 12 walks issued by Flathead pitching to earn its first league win. Teagan Powell was hit three times with pitches as well.

Ella Farrell got the win in relief of Kernan, a senior who threw a clean first inning, then issued three straight walks to force in a run in the second. Farrell, who has had control issues this season as well, gave up a one-out scratch hit to Ava Bessen, then a walk, then a solid hit to Kaidyn Lake, then another walk.

Flathead had a five-spot and a 5-4 lead.

After a mound visit, Farrell fanned Lacie Frankland, then fell behind 3-0 to Lyssa Leimkuehler, and then worked back to get the inning-ending strikeout.

The Ks kept coming: The sophomore struck out nine Bravettes in four innings of work. She gave up three walks and two runs.

“We’re just super confident in her,” said Glacier coach Abby Connolly, whose club is now 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the Western AA. “At the end of the day she’s a pitcher that we put our complete trust in. She really came back in the fourth inning and fifth inning and pitched dominantly. She made those adjustments that we’ve been working on.”

Meanwhile the Wolfpack offense kicked into gear. After Flathead sent 11 hitters to the plate in the second, Glacier had 12 take their cuts in its half of the inning.

Kenadie Goudette’s infield single led to the tying run, by Zoey Allen, when the throw from short was off-line. Labrum, who’d been hit by a pitch, scored on Farrell’s RBI groundout to Glacier up for good, 6-5.

Brooklyn Imperato, who had an RBI double in the first, drilled a two-run single to make it 8-5. Paishance Haller followed with a ground out, and then that third out just would not come. Powell was hit by a pitch, and Kernan golfed an Ava Bessen pitch to left for a 3-run homer.

“That was her first career home run,” Connolly noted. “She hit the top of the fence last year and it popped back in. She’s been incredibly focused in practice, never misses a rep and does whatever she can do to help the team. We saw that tonight as well with her getting the start on the mound. She really helped herself out with that home run.”

After Kernan’s shot, Allen drew a walk and Labrum hit her first homer of the season to left field.

It was 13-5. Flathead got a run on Bessen’s RBI double in the third, but Kernan answered that with a two-run single.

Labrum added a two-run double with nobody out in the fifth to end the game under the mercy rule.

Flathead fell to 1-8, 1-5 in league.

“The kids competed today,” Bravettes coach Jack Foster said. “Yesterday (a loss to Missoula Sentinel) was not good. We were not quite there yesterday, and so I challenged them before today’s game, and they competed much better.

“Glacier’s a good team. Even though they’ve struggled a bit coming out of the gate here, they’re a good team. We’re working at getting better. Great kids. We’ll keep working, and we’ll get there.”

Glacier has another home game Friday, at 4:45 p.m. against Butte (3-6, 3-2 in the Western AA). Butte will then play Flathead at 1:45 p.m. Saturday, at Kidsports.

Flathead 051 00 - 6 4 1

Glacier 492 02 - 17 10 1

Ava Bessen, Lacie Franklin (3) and Laynee Vessar. Alli Kernan, Ella Farrell (2) and Brooklyn Imperato.

FLATHEAD — Macy Craver 1-4, Bessen 2-3, Vessar 0-2, Kaidyn Lake 1-1, Mackenzie Brandt 0-2, Lacie Franklin 0-3, Lyssa Leimkuehler 0-2, Teegan Carlon 0-1, Brynn Mailman 0-2.

GLACIER — Zoey Allen -2, Omni Wilhelm 0-0, Sammie Labrum 2-3, Kenadie Goudette 2-3, Nakiah Persinger 0-0, Farrell 0-2, Morgan Vivian 0-1, Emma Cooke 0-1, Imperato 2-3, Paishance Haller 1-2, Mady Osler 0-1, Teagan Powell 0-0, Kernan 3-4, Khirsten Scott 0-0.

2B — Bessen, Labrum, Imperato. HR — Kernan, Labrum. RBIs — Bessen 2, Vessar, Lake, Brandt, Kernan 5, Labrum 4, Imperato 3, Haller 2, Farrell.