Gibbons no-hitter, Allen HRs fuel Wolfpack sweep
MISSOULA — Glacier’s Zoey Allen hit two 2-run home runs Thursday against Missoula Sentinel, and the second one was the difference in an 8-7 win over the Sparants in Western AA softball.
Allen’s heroics capped off a doubleheader sweep of Missoula Hellgate and Sentinel, with the games at two venues.
The Wolfpack started off by beating Hellgate 14-0 at the Rattlesnake Fields, behind Olivia Gibbon’s five-inning no-hitter and three RBIs each from Paishance Haller and Khirsten Terrell.
The win at Sentinel moved Glacier’s record to 14-1 overall and 12-1 in the Western AA. The Pack are also 5-1 in one-run games, including a 15-14 win over Sentinel in April where they scored six runs in the seventh.
There were four lead changes this time around: Sentinel scored four runs in the fourth inning to jump ahead 4-2; Allen’s first home put Glacier back in front 5-4 in the fifth; Sentinel retook the lead 6-5 with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, on a Brooklyn Wright solo homer and a sacrifice fly.
Cazz Rankosky had an RBI single in the sixth for Glacier; Nina Samoury put Sentinel (11-6 overall, 8-4 in league) back in front with a solo homer in the Spartans’ half, setting the stage for the seventh.
Ella Farrell doubled ahead of Allen’s second homer. Then reliever Morgan Vivian worked around the first two Sentinel hitters reaching base in the final frame, getting a lineout into a double play and a groundout to end it.
In the first game Gibbons faced just 17 batters and struck out 10 with no walks.
Nakiah Persinger, Karley Allen, Bella Hodous and Haller all scored two runs against the Knights; Glacier drew 11 walks and didn’t strike out on offense. Hellgate fell to 0-13.
First game
Glacier 141 62 - 14 7 2
Hellgate 000 00 - 0 0 2
Olivia Gibbons and Cazz Rankosky, Karley Allen (4). K Moe and E Lambert.
GLACIER — Kenadie Goudette 0-1, Ella Farrell 0-2, Nakiah Perskinger 1-1, Brooklyn Imperato 0-1, Rankosky 1-2, K.Allen 0-0, Emma Cooke 0-1, Paishance Haller 1-1, Gibbons 1-3, Khirsten Terrell 1-2, Zoey Allen 1-4, Avery Anderson 0-2, Morgan Vivian 1-1, Dakota Schuman 0-2, Bella Hodous 0-0.
MISSOULA HELLGATE — Kaylie Moe 0-2, Maddy Petrino 0-2, Lambert 0-2, Keira Babbitt 0-2, Olivia Schubert 0-2, Piper Wells 0-2, N Blainey 0-2, Haley Anderson 0-2, Amelia Richmond 0-2.
2B — Z.Allen, Haller, Terrell, Gibbons. RBIs — Haller 3, Terrell 3, Rankosky 2, Persinger 2, Anderson, Vivian.
Second game
Glacier 000 231 2 - 8 12 1
Sentinel 000 421 0 - 7 9 2
Farrell, Vivian (6) and Rankosky. Rylee Crane, Charlee Hoover (6) and Emma Ries, Morgan Olson (6).
GLACIER — Goudette 2-5, Persinger 2-5, Rankosky 2-4, Cooke 1-4, Farrell 1-2, Z.Allen 2-4, Vivian 0-3, Haller 0-1, Anderson 1-4, Imperato 1-3, Schuman 0-0.
MISSOULA SENTINEL — Jayden Gagner 1-4, Haley Wolsky 0-3, Kennedy Dypwick 0-1, Brooklyn Wright 1-2, Ries 1-3, Stella Summerfield 1-2, Hoover 2-4, Olson 1-4, Haley Sellers 1-3, Nina Samoury 1-4.
2B — Rankosky, Farrell, Olson. HR — ZAllen 2, Sammoury, Wright. RBIs — Allen 4, Rankosky, Farrell, Anderson, Olson 3, Hoover 2, Sammoury, Wright.