Lady Bulldogs close season with three losses
Photo by Allison Money / Daily Inter Lake Whitefish catcher Kaitlyn Wehrli safely slides into third base as Columbia Falls third baseman Tia Yaeger misses a ground-ball throw in the top of the fourth inning.
Whitefish lose on road in Libby
Libby's Candace Hendrickson hit a two-run home run with two outs in the first inning to power the Loggers past the Whitefish Lady Bulldogs in Western A softball action on Thursday, May 21.
The 6-1 victory qualifies the Loggers (4-5) for next weekend's Class A state tournament.
"I would like to congratulate Libby on an exceptional game," Whitefish coach Alam Compton said. "They played really well, made some great defensive plays. My girls played their hearts out. They just came up a little short."
Libby coach Dean Thompson complimented the Bulldogs on their play as well.
"Our girls hit the ball well tonight," Thompson said. "Taylor (Armstrong) pitched a good game. Whitefish is hitting ball well. Defensively, we played a good game with just one error," he said.
Whitefish catcher Hailey Mortensen hit two line drives into centerfield.
"She hits the ball hard," Thompson said.
Whitefish 000 010 0 — 1 5 1
Libby 200 400 x — 6 10 1
Carolyn Sharpe and Hailey Mortensen. Taylor Armstrong and Lexi Hageness. W — Armstrong (5 hits, 5 strikeouts, 1 walk, 0 hp). L — Sharpe.
Whitefish — Madison Tveidt 1-3, Carolyn Sharpe 1-3, Kaitlyn Wehrli 0-3, Hailey Mortensen 1-3, Callie Marsh 1-3, Madison Cross 0-3, Heather Bailey 0-3, Kristi Whisler 1-3, Nicole Schelling 0-2. RBI: Tveidt.
Libby — Nickole Lapka 2-4, Amber Grubham 2-4, Alysha Martin 0-3, Candace Hendrickson 2-3, Jordan Refsland 0-1, Lexi Hageness 1-3, Emily Monroe 0-3, Jaime Gilden 1-2, Alyssa Walker 0-1, LaRona Luscher 2-3.
HR — Hendrickson. 2B — Lapka, Grubham. RBI: Lapka 2, Grubham 2, Hendrickson 2.
Ronan's fifth-inning homer spells loss
Ronan's Kaylee Larson blasted a two-run homer in the fifth inning to break open a tight Class A nonconference softball game against Whitefish here on Saturday as the Maidens posted a 9-1 victory.
Ronan was leading 2-1 when Larson delivered.
"It was a good game through four innings," Whitefish coach Alan Compton said. "Larson's two-run homer knocked a big hole in the sail, and we didn't close it after that."
Larson was also a factor on the pitcher's mound, limiting Whitefish to just two hits as she went the distance. Kaitlyn Wehrli and Shannon Holmes singled for the Lady Bulldogs.
It was the regular-season finale for Whitefish, who earlier in the day lost at Columbia Falls and finished the season 7-15 overall and 3-7 in Western A.
"It was a good season," Compton said. "I'm proud of the girls."
Ronan 101 021 4 — 9 8 1
Whitefish 100 000 0 — 1 2 5
Kaylee Larson and Jordan Strozzi. Carolyn Sharpe and Hailey Mortensen. W – Larson (13-3). L – Sparpe.
RONAN – Kelsey Clairmont 2-4, Larson 1-3, Strozzi 2-4, April Soukup 1-2, Katie Andrews 1-4, Brittany Clairmont 0-3, Lindsay Clairmont 0-1, Amanda Bartel 0-4, Chelsey Bourdon 0-3, Paige Delrauenti 0-1, Dani Crocket 1-2, Bethany Coleman 0-1.
WHITEFISH – Madison Tveidt 0-1, Kristi Whisler 0-3, Kaitlyn Wehrli 1-3, Mortensen 0-2, Nicole Schelling 0-3, Shannon Holmes 1-3, Heather Bailey 0-3, Sharpe 0-2, Taylor Ybarra-Brunty 0-2.
2B – Strozzi. HR – Larson. RBIs – Wehrli, K. Clairmont 2, Larson 2, Strozzi, Andrews, Bartel.
Base-running errors hamper Lady Bulldogs
The Columbia Falls Wildkats made some of their own breaks on Saturday, downing the visiting Whitefish softball team, 6-4.
The Wildkats had just five hits and received no walks, but made the most of what opportunities they did have. Those included five Whitefish errors.
The Lady Bulldogs had chances at the plate — they out hit the Wildkats 13 to 5, with a pair of doubles.
"For not having anything to play for other than pride, they played pretty well," Whitefish coach Alan Compton said of his team. "They showed up and they played hard. I'm happy. I'm proud of them."
The Bulldogs had a huge fifth inning with five hits and three runs. Carolyn Sharpe and Taylor Ybarra-Brunty hit back-to-back doubles.
"Taylor did a good job. She hasn't played much since she broke her cheek. She did well. She hit well — a lot of courage, she showed that today," Compton said.
Fewer base-running errors could have changed the game, he added.
Whitefish finished its season on Saturday, but the Wildkats will continue on with the Class A state tournament next weekend in Polson.
Whitefish 000 030 1 — 4 1 3 5
C Falls 023 010 x — 6 6 1
Kaitlyn Wehrli and Hailey Mortensen. Morgan Rowe and Amber James. W — Rowe. L — Wehrli.
WHITEFISH — Madison Tveidt 3-4, Kristi Whisler 2-4, Kaitlyn Wehrli 2-4, Hailey Mortensen 0-3, Nicole Schelling 1-3, Shannon Holmes 1-3, Callie Marsh 1-3, Carolyn Sharpe 2-2, Madison Cross 0-1, Taylor Ybarra-Brunty 1-2. 2B — Sharpe, Ybarra-Brunty. RBIs — Wehrli 1, Ybarra-Brunty 2, Whisler 1.
COLUMBIA FALLS — Tia Yaeger 0-4, Renae Nelson 0-3, Amanda Milliard 1-3, Amber James 1-3, Kayla Stinger 2-3, Shaun Rowe 1-3, Cassidee Skiles 1-3, Erika Nelson 0-3, Cedar Smith 0-3. HR — Amber James. 3B — Shaun Rowe. RBIs — James 1, Rowe 2, Skiles 1, Smith 1.