Butte Central uprising downs Whitefish at West A

FRENCHTOWN – Butte Central scored seven runs in the sixth inning to clinch a 15-3 victory over Whitefish Friday in the first round of the Western A Divisional high school girls’ softball tournament.
The game ended after the sixth on the 10-run difference rule.
Run-scoring doubles by Brooke Badovinac and Mia Keeley, and an RBI single by Renee Creekmore keyed the Maroons’ big inning. The win sent them to a second-round game against Columbia Falls later Friday.
Keeley collected three doubles while going 4-for-4 in leading the BC offense. She, Badovinac and Jaeden Berger each drove in two runs. Winning pitcher Hattie Mehring, Arika Stajcar and Creekmore each knocked in a run as well.
The Maroons were errorless on defense.
Butte Central took a 4-0 lead in the first inning with Berger knocking in two runs with a double and Keeley delivering a run-scoring single. The other run scored on a passed ball.
The Maroons tallied twice in the third inning with Badovinac singling and eventually scoring on a passed ball, and Keeley doubling then riding home on a Stajcar base hit. In the fourth, Mehring singled, went to second on a wild pitch, stole third and crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Badovinac.
The fifth inning saw Keeley double, go to third on a passed ball and home on a wild pitch. Kathryn Lalicker singled with one out in the sixth inning, Badovinac then doubled her home and Berger walked. Keeley doubled in a run and Stajcar walked. One out later, Creekmore singled in a run and Sophia Gelling drew a walk. Hattie Mehring knocked in a run before a strikeout ended the inning for BC. Passed balls let two Butte Central runs score in the frame.
Butte Central 402 117 x – 15 13 0
Whitefish 020 001 x — 3 7 2
Hattie Mehring and Mia Keeley. Jude Perry and Selena Simms. W – Mehring. L – Perry.
BUTTE CENTRAL – Hattie Mehring 2-3, Kathryn Lalicker 2-5, Brooke Badovinac 2-3, Jaeden Berger 1-2, Mia Keeley 4-4, Arika Stajcar 1-2, Alexis Morey 0-2, Cloe Stillwagon 0-1, Renee Creekmore 1-4, Sophia Gelling 0-2, Chloe Wright 0-0.
WHITEFISH – Samantha Bennetts 1-3, Selena Simms 1-3, Avarie MacKenzie 1-4, Jude Perry 1-3 Esme Fennessy 1-3, Brooke Bernat 1-3, Talie Allego 0-2, Josie Voeller 1-2, Kacie Hill 1-3.
Extra-base hits – 2B – Badovinac, Berger, Keeley 3, Fennessy, Voeller. 3B – Perry.