By Bruce Sayler
Wind gusts of more than 40 mph made for an aerial circus with flyballs at the Stodden Park softball complex Tuesday afternoon.
Remarkably, only one of 22 lofted was dropped in the Western AA Conference game played. Defending state AA champion Glacier High of Kalispell remained unbeaten this year, edging Butte High 4-3 in a well-played contest.
The Wolfpack had expanded a 2-1 advantage to 4-1 in the top of the seventh inning before the Bulldogs rallied back in their half of the last frame only to come up a run short.
The seventh started with Wolfpack senior Karley Allen singling into right-center field. An outfield error let junior Taelor Holt reach base and Allen score. Sophomore Ava Grady, a rare left-handed shortstop, followed with a single to center and Holt came home.
Butte High freshman pitcher then retired the next three Wolfpack batters on two wind-crazed popups and a groundout.
Senior Ally Godbout led off led off the Bulldog seventh with an infield hit. Grady, now on in relief for Glacier, struck out the next two batters, but then Henderson pounded one of her pitches over the left-field fence for a two-run homer. A popup ended the game. Defenses of both teams passed the rigid test.
“Overall, I thought it was pretty well-played,” Butte High head coach Ryan Stosich said. “Two errors let them off the hook. Our girls competed very well against the defending state champions. We played well, but they made more plays than we did.”
Henderson has pitched 14 innings now with complete games both Monday (a 6-3 win over Kalispell Flathead) and Tuesday and has yet to yield an earned run. She allowed Glacier nine hits, but walked only two batters and struck out two.
“Brea pitched one hell of a game,” Stosich said. “Our defense was great in the field. We had some great catches, given the environment, the wind.”
All the scoring happened in the first and seventh innings. Glacier started the game with Warriner reaching on an errant throw. Allen hit a single to center and Warriner went to third base, then scoring on a squeeze bunt by Holt. Allen went to third on the play and rode home on a base hit by Grady. A strikeout and a groundout retired the Wolfpack with a 2-0 lead.
The Bulldogs got a run back in their half of the first as Johnson worked a leadoff walk, raced to second on a wild pitch, took third on a groundout by Mattie Stepan and dashed home when Gracie Jonart grounded out to Grady at shortstop.
Jonart whacked a double in the sixth inning, but was stranded on base. Kendallyn Schad, Godbout and Cliry Conway connected for singles during the game.
Butte High is next scheduled to play on Saturday at noon against Missoula Hellgate in a conference home game at Stodden Park. However, Stosich said a change might be made over weather concerns.
Glacier 200 000 2 – 4 9 0
Butte High 100 000 2 – 3 5 2
Olivia Warriner, Ava Grady (6) and Emma Smith. Brea Henderson and Mattie Stepan. W – Warriner. L – Henderson (1-1). S – Grady.
KALISPELL GLACIER (3-0, 2-0) – Olivia Warriner (P-SS) 0-4, Karley Allen (CF) 2-4, Taelor Holt (RF) 1-3, Ava Grady (SS-P) 2-2, Emma Smith ( C) 0-4, Sophia Frederick (LF) 1-4, Addy Cunningham (1B) 1-4, Chloe Farrell (3B) 1-3, Lanee Anderson (2B) 1-3.
BUTTE HIGH (1-1, 1-1) – Reese Johnson (2B) 0-1, Mattie Stepan ( C) 0-3, Gracie Jonart (RF) 1-3, Lauren Warren (PR) 0-0, Kendallyn Schad (1B) 1-3, Ally Godbout (LF) 1-3, Taylor Regan (PR) 0-0, Allie Becker (SS) 0-3, Avery Barsness (CF-flex) 0-0, Brittyn Klima (DP) 0-3, Brea Henderson (P) 1-2, Savannah Stosich (PH) 0-1, Cliry Conway (3B) 1-3.
Extra-base hits – 2B – Farrell, Jonart. HR – Henderson (1).
Runs batted in – Glacier 3 (Grady 2, Holt 1), Butte High 3 (Henderson 2, Jonart 1).
