Keeping Score: Spring sports kickoff, record-breaking runs
Weather delays aside, we break down the thrilling walk-off win that launched Glacier softball’s season, Columbia Falls' baseball dominance, and a record-breaking performance on the track.
Welcome back everybody to the Keeping Score podcast, presented by Corwin Motors. Our short break is up, and the spring sports season is back in somewhat full swing as baseball, softball track and field as well as tennis is underway, but weather has cancelled some of these events. So, let’s get into this past week’s highlights you might have missed.
Starting right off with my game of the week and it just so happened to be the first game of the softball season for the Glacier Wolfpack against CMR.
The Wolfpack trailed CMR 3-0 entering the sixth inning, but that changed as Ava Grady drove in a run on a groundout. Chloe Farrell then knocked in another run while reaching on a Rustlers error.
Farrell came home when Addy Cunningham homered to left, giving Glacier its first lead at 4-3.
CMR answered in the top of the seventh with a pair of runs to take the lead back which set the stage for the bottom half of the 6th inning where the Wolfpack walked it off.
Olivia Warriner drew a lead-off walk Karley Allen got aboard thanks to a bunt single and senior Cazz Rankosky drove a single to right field to score both runners and give Glacier a 6-5 lead.
In their next game Glacier took control of the game, jumping out to a 10-0 lead and held on to beat Great Falls with that same score. The Wolfpack were led by Olivia Gibbons who went 3-for-3 with a home run and drove in three runs as Glacier started their season 2-0.
For Flathead softball they dropped both of their games against CMR and Great Falls. In their first game against Great Falls, Mackenzie Brandt and Olivia Nyman homered, but the Bison used a nine-run fifth inning to build a 10-3 lead and took the game with a final of 11-8. Olivia finished the game going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIS.
In the second game, CMR’s Emma Griffin and Ella Cron combined on a four-hit shutout and the Rustlers put up a four-spot in the third inning of a 9-0 win.
Saturday’s matchup against Big Sky also did not go well for the Bravettes as they dropped to 0-3 on the season with a 10-3 loss. Mackenzie Brandt homered again for Flathead and went 2-for-4 but Big Sky had a 4-run second and 3-run third inning to pull away and take the win.
Moving over to baseball, leadoff hitter Reggie Sapa doubled, had three hits and scored four times as Columbia Falls downed Plains-Hot Springs 19-0 in a high school baseball game that lasted just three innings Saturday.
Nico Young and Lincoln Fisher also doubled for the Wildcats, and each had two hits, as did teammates Brady Matson and Treysen Murphy. Young drove in three runs and scored three times.
Bigfork also won their Saturday matchup after Cavin Weist doubled and scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning, then hit two more doubles as the Vikings pulled away from Ronan to win 10-3. Weist’s run in the fifth inning broke a 3-3 tie; Bigfork’s No. 9 hitter doubled in a run to make it 6-3 in the sixth inning, and his double in the seventh plated the Vikings’ 10th run.
Moving on to track, Ethan Anderson, a senior for the Glacier Wolfpack, won the 110-meter hurdles in 14.67 seconds Friday at a triangular meet hosted by Helena Capital, and then won the 300 hurdlers in 39.79. Both times are impressive for March; they sit well below the state qualifying standard and are the fastest in Montana regardless of class.
Glacier’s Dylan Smith also picked up wins in the discus and shotput while sophomore Spencer Hodge won the long jump by a half an inch.
Glacier’s girls were led by sophomore Lauren Bissen, who won the 1,600. Only Gallatin’s Claire Rutherford has a faster time this young season.
The Wolfpack’s Breanna Barnes cleared 10-0 to win the pole vault; she qualified for the State AA meet in the process and teammate Addison Brisendine, a freshman, won the 100 hurdles.
For Tennis Glacier and Flathead were supposed to faceoff with Helena and Helena Capital but we were never sent any results. It's the start of the season and the weather also cancelled some events so hopefully next week we will have a lot more to highlight.
That is going to wrap up this week’s episode of the Keeping Score podcast presented by Corwin Motors. Hopefully we get some better weather this week so we have more sports to highlight, and we will see you all next week on the Keeping Score podcast, take care.
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