Franklin, Bravettes top Great Falls; lose to CMR

Flathead’s Lacee Franklin stymied the Great Falls Bison, before the Bravettes lost control of a tie game in the sixth inning against C.M. Russell in a split of their softball games Tuesday.

Franklin scattered six hits and six walks and struck out eight as the Bravettes (4-12) handed Great Falls a 3-1 loss. Reece Conley helped Flathead with a solo homer in the first inning, and Mackenzie Brandt’s two-run single in the sixth provided the difference.

The Bravettes lost to CMR 7-2, though they tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth inning with an RBI double from Kaidyn Lake and an RBI single from Laynee Vessar.

Brie Ginnaty’s solo homer with two-out in the sixth — she also homered against Glacier Tuesday — put the Rustlers (10-8) ahead for good. Ginnaty also closed out the win with three scoreless innings on the mound.

“Another great outing by Lacee Franklin,” Flathead coach Jack Foster said. “And we played really good defense for 12 innings and made some mistakes in the last two against CMR.

“Overall, I’m really pleased with our progress this year. We are getting better.”

Macie McIlhargey gave up eight hits, two walks and five earned runs for Flathead. She struck out one. The Bravettes close the regular season with a Crosstown game at Glacier at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Great Falls 000 001 0 - 1 6 1

Flathead 100 200 x - 3 5 1

Davis, Reeves (4), Ehnes (6) and Noble, Newmack. Lacee Franklin and Laynee Vessar.

GREAT FALLS — Bloomgren 0-4, Jones 0-3, Ehns 2-3, Medina 1-3, Little 0-0, Hagen 0-2, Boland 0-0, Noble 0-3, Newmack 0-0, Senger 2-3, Timboe 0-1, Lyons 1-2, Davis 0-2, eeves 0-0, Saunders 0-1.

FLATHEAD — Mackenzie Brandt 1-3, Ava Besson 1-3, Reese Conley 1-2, Kaidyn Lake 1-2, Vessar 0-3, Macie McIlhargey 1-3, Franklin 0-2, Ellie Eve 0-0, Kinsey Lake 0-1, Brynn Mailman 0-3.

2B — Ehnes. HR — Conley. RBIs — Senger, Brandt 2, Conley.

CMR 001 103 2 - 7 8 1

Flathead 000 200 0 - 2 6 3

Adams, Ginnaty (5) and Faulk. McIlhargey and Conley.

GREAT FALLS CMR — Faulk 1-4, Etcheberry 0-4l, Kleinsasser 1-4, Ginnaty 1-4, Powers 1-3, Bushard 2-3, Taylor 0-1, Hatzenberller 0-2, Virtz 0-1, Adams 2-3.

FLATHEAD — Brandt 1-4, Besson 0-3, Conley 0-3, Sawyer VanCampen 1-3, Ka.Lake 1-3, Vessar 1-3, McIlhargey 2-3, Franklin 0-1, Mailman 0-2, Ki.Lake 0-3.

2B — Ka.Lake. HR — Ginnaty. RBIs — Ginnaty, Bushard, Adams, Faulk, Etcheberry, Ka.Lake, Vessar.