Glacier softball drops State AA opener

MISSOULA — Madeline Hamma’s two-run double gave Great Falls Russell the lead for good in the third inning Thursday, and the Rustlers went on to down Glacier 9-2 at the State AA softball tournament.

The first-round win avenged an 11-6 loss to the Wolfpack (11-10) in the season opener for both teams. This time around the Rustlers (13-6-1) took advantage of five walks, three hit batters and four errors to come out on top at Fort Missoula.

Hamma’s double put CMR up 3-1, and the gap grew to 6-1 on Brooke Powers’ two-run single in the fifth. Powers added another two-run single in the sixth to back the pitching of Brie Ginnaty, who allowed four hits and one run in six innings. She fanned seven.

The Pack tied the game 1-1 in the third on Brooklyn Imperato’s one-out RBI double. In the seventh, Alli Kernan hit a solo home run.

Glacier fell into a loser-out game Friday at 11 a.m.

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Alli Kernan, Ella Farrell (3) and Brooklyn Imperato, Cazz Rankosky (3). Brie Ginnaty, Maddy Hermiller (7) and Sarah Faulk.

GLACIER — Imperato 1-4, Sammie Labrum 1-4, Emma Cooke 0-3, Kenadie Goudette 1-3, Paishance Haller 0-3, Farrell 1-3, Zoey Allen 0-2, Rankosky 0-1, Teagan Powell 0-3, Kernan 2-3, Bella Hodous 0-0, Nakiah Persinger 0-0.

GREAT FALLS CMR — Faulk 2-4, Jaclyn Kleinsasser 0-4, Lauren Lindseth 1-3, Ginnaty 1-4, Hermiller 0-0, Tori Lapiere 0-3, Madeline Hamma 1-2, Jenna Etcheberry 0-1, Brooke Powers 2-3, Kadence Taylor 0-4.

2B — Labrum, Imperato, Hamma, Lindseth. HR — Kernan. RBIs — Imperato, Kernan, Powers 4, Faulk 2, Hamma 2.