Whitefish's High's softball team

Whitefish's High's softball team received its first glimpse of defending Class A champion Polson last week and the Bulldogs had the Pirates on the ropes much of the game. However, Whitefish's defensive lapse late let Polson off the hook and the Pirates pulled out an 11-7 comeback victory to remain unbeaten in Northwestern A conference play.

It was part of Whitefish's 1-2 week that also included a 10-0 win over Columbia Falls and a humbling 12-2 setback at the hands of powerhouse Libby. Despite the two losses, the Bulldogs remained third in conference. They face a difficult doubleheader Saturday when Polson and Libby come to town. "Hopefully, we'll be able to come out and beat Polson by more than four runs," Whitefish coach Aaron Phillips said of his team potentially finishing ahead of the Pirates in the standings. It appeared the Bulldogs had an opportunity to dismantle the unbeaten Pirates April 26 at Polson. Whitefish stormed to a 7-2 lead, only to have the Pirates rally for nine runs the final three innings to grab the win. Polson scored four times in the fourth to make it a one-run game and took over for good with a three-run fifth. "We were ahead but Polson had a big inning," Phillips noted. "We committed a couple of errors and we couldn't stop their rally." Polson relief pitcher Nicole Brasher held the Bulldogs scoreless the final three innings. It seemed Whitefish could do little wrong early in the game. The Bulldogs scored twice in the top of the fourth for a five-run advantage. For the game, Whitefish touched Brasher and Polson starting pitcher Dylen Zetterberg for six hits.Sophomore infielder Sarah Vail had a good day at the plate. Vail went 2 for 4 and drove home four runs. "Sarah has been producing well for us at the plate," Phillips noted of Vail's hot bat. Desiree Clark also went 2 for 4 at the plate and collected two RBIs. Clark socked a double for Whitefish's lone extra base hit of the game.Polson's Strohm Fouty went 2 for 2, including a bases loaded triple in the fourth inning.Whitefish pitcher Makayla Peck went the distance and yielded 11 Polson hits. Peck was the big story for Whitefish two days later. The senior pitcher tossed a complete game one-hitter to lift the Bulldogs to an easy 10-0 mercy rule win."I felt Makayla pitched well each of the three games, but we didn't back her well enough on offense two of those games," Phillips said.There was no lack of run support against Columbia Falls. Whitefish's seven-run second inning provided Peck with all the support she'd need. The Bulldogs' defense also got behind Peck with an error-free five innings.Senior infielder Tess Kalfell paced Whitefish's eight-hit attack by going 2 for 4 with a double and a single and three RBIs."Tess does a great job putting the ball into play," Phillips noted of Kalfell's ability to drive home runs. "She's relaxed at the plate and she's been getting the job done."Whitefish produced a double digit run total in less than ideal weather conditions."We hit the ball well on a cold day," Phillips said.Katie Hodges blasted a triple and went 2 for 3 and Kilani Morris knocked in two runs for the winners.Whitefish rounded out the week with a blowout loss to Libby. The Loggers scored eight runs the first two innings and rode a three-hitter from pitcher Brooke Hageness. Amanda Joy went 2 for 2 with a pair of doubles for Whitefish. Vail was also 1 for 2 and Alana Morris drove in a run. Whitefish is now 8-3 on the season.