Lady 'Dogs look to rebound at state

As quickly as Whitefish's softball squad was poised to win the division and roll into the state playoffs as a top seed, they fell to third place in the standings and find themselves scrambling to find their winning touch.

The Lady Bulldogs lost league games to Libby and Ronan last week to drop their conference record to 4-4. At the same time, the Lady Loggers of Libby edged out a win over Polson to bump their record to 5-3 — setting the final seedings for the state Class A tournament. Polson is No.1, Libby takes second, and Whitefish finishes in third.

But for Whitefish coach Alan Compton, the losses last week are a distant memory.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "We're in the state tournament, and it's a new season. Everything before is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is our next game."

The coach even found a positive from the mini-slide to end the season.

"I think the No. 3 seed actually helps us in the bracket," he said.

Whitefish will open the tourney, scheduled for May 27-29 in Billings, with games against Corvallis and Frenchtown. The Lady Bulldogs beat Corvallis 5-2 and lost to Frenchtown 12-6 earlier in the season.

Compton said he likes the ensuing match ups and the route the bracket takes them through the playoffs.

What he doesn't like is the mental errors and passive batting that has plagued the Lady 'Dogs recently.

Against Libby, Whitefish stranded 13 runners and tallied four errors in the 10-6 loss.

"The girls are swinging the bat just fine," Compton said. "We're batting .316 as a team. We just aren't having the timely hits. When we have two runners on, we have to get a hit and move the runners.

"It's your mindset when you go to the plate. It's not, 'I hope I get a hit.' It's got to be, 'I'm going to get a hit.'"

Compton chalked up the loss to Ronan as emotions running high on senior night.

"Senior night is so hard for the girls," he said. "They make such a big deal out of it, and it affects the whole team. They all get caught up in it."

He'd like to see senior night happen earlier in the spring to alleviate any extra stress put on the girls in the late-season games that typically have high stakes — like the showdown with Ronan on Saturday.

Even though Whitefish closed with two league losses, Compton was impressed with how the team exceeded expectations and performed throughout the regular season.

The 'Dogs topped Columbia Falls twice and beat the Loggers at Libby, something Whitefish hasn't accomplished in more than four years. He also likes how the team has embraced their underdog persona — and even using it as an advantage.

"We did a lot that nobody thought we could do," Compton said about the regular season. "That's why I think we have a chance at state. I think we can play with anyone if we bring our A game defensively, and offensively we get after it.

"There's not a real dominant team in the state right now. Of the 12 teams in the tourney, any of those 12 can win it. Our girls understand we can win, as long as we don't give up and keep trying."

The team's goal in Billings is to be competitive and move forward in the bracket.

"If we can play four games, we get into the top four, and that's a very realistic goal," Compton said.