Bulldog bats crush Browning in shutout

It was all Whitefish on Saturday as the Lady 'Dogs' bats paved the way to a 16-0 romp over Class A Browning at Smith Fields.

Seniors Kaitlyn Wehrli and Hailey Mortensen had three hits each, and seven different Lady Bulldogs knocked RBIs in the non-conference game that was stopped after five innings due to the 10-run rule. Each of the 12 players on the 'Dogs' roster had a hit.

"Everybody got on base and that's a really big deal for the entire team," Lady Bulldog coach Alan Compton said. "We scored in every inning, and if we can continue to do that, we'll keep winning."

Wehrli pitched another shutout, tossing 13 strikeouts and no walks. The Lady 'Dogs blanked Browning earlier in the season, 11-0.

"Kaitlyn threw a great game and is getting stronger every week," Compton said. "She's hitting her spots well and is understanding how to pitch when she's ahead in the count. She's really peaking at the right time."

Whitefish opened the game with three runs in the first and followed with five more in the second inning to jump out to an 8-0 lead. They added another eight runs in the third and fourth to cap off their most productive game of the season at the plate.

Mortensen led the team with four RBIs, while Wehrli had three and Shannon Holmes tallied two.

The impressive offensive outing was a product of small-ball drills the team worked on in practice last week, Compton said. The coach also made some adjustments to the line up, which squeezed more production out of the roster from top to bottom.

The Lady Bulldogs (5-6, 2-2) travel to Columbia Falls today for a conference game that will determine second place in the league standings. Whitefish topped the Wildkats 6-3 in April at home.

"The number one thing is that we can't have any errors," Compton said about the upcoming rival match up. "We have to play a complete game mentally."

The team's confidence is up at the plate, Compton said, and he thinks that will help them light up the scoreboard — if they can keep their emotions in check.

"We can't get too excited," he said. "Emotionally, we have to stay even and play like it's business as usual. We have to go one pitch at a time and not think about the what-ifs."

The game is slated for 5:30 p.m. at Columbia Falls.