Loyola Sacred Heart, the West's regular-season champion, and Stillwater, the defending state champ and Eastern B-C divisional winner, won their games, though each was closer than they would have liked.
The Breakers beat Shepherd 6-3 thanks to some late-inning run production and Stillwater, a team comprised of players from Columbus, Absarokee and Park City, sneaked by Deer Lodge 9-6 in one of the day's earlier games.
That was especially true in the case of Loyola, a favorite coming into the weekend, which watched as Shepherd jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
“We basically spotted them three runs,” said LSH coach Dan Weber of some weather-related miscues. “It took us a while to come back, but we did. It's not the greatest conditions for playing softball.”
Thompson Falls, the West's No. 2 squad, earned a 6-1 win over Huntley Project and Florence was dealt a 15-5 loss by Eastern B-C runner-up Glasgow, which hit three home runs off the Falcons, including a game-ending grand slam in the fifth inning.
“We were hurt by the weather conditions and some really good hitting, too,” said first-year Florence coach Melanie Williams.
Loyola (20-2) meets Glasgow in a winner's-bracket semifinal Friday morning, while Columbus and Thompson Falls (21-2) do the same. Both games are at 9 a.m. Tourney officials moved all the start times ahead one hour Friday to hopefully avoid afternoon thunderstorms.
Deer Lodge (12-7) plays Huntley Project and Florence (12-7) faces Shepherd in elimination games Friday at 11 a.m. Another round of loser-out games is slated for 1 p.m. and the undefeated game is at 3.
Loyola 6, Shepherd 3
Emma Priddy went 2-for-2 with an RBI double to spark the Breakers in their come-from-behind win over the Fillies.
Tayven Blome added a 2-for-3 day at the plate and LSH starter Sarah Osellame settled down to pitch six scoreless innings after giving up three runs in the first. She finished with a three-hitter.
The Breakers totaled seven hits and their defense got back on track after a rough start.
“It was raining pretty much from the start, and it was coming down pretty hard,” Weber said. “But I was surprised. We stayed error-free almost the whole game.”
Shepherd starter Lisa Cook had two of her team's hits and drove in a run.
Shepherd 300 000 0 - 3 3 1
Loyola 002 112 x - 6 7 1
Lisa Cook and Kelsey Resch. Sarah Osellame and Jessica Hoffman. W - Osellame. L - Cook.
SHEPHERD - Elise Murray 0-3, Emily Kading 0-3, Emma Sprott 1-3, Jillian Stanek 0-2, Sam Thomas 0-2, Raina Peterson 0-2, Cook 2-2, Resch 0-2.
LOYOLA - Rose Harrington 1-3, Sarah Goodman 0-3, Tayven Blome 2-3, Shelby Gilfillan 0-2, Osellame 0-3, Brittney Anderson 1-3 Andrea Hoffman 0-0, Emma Priddy 2-2, Kristine Kuntz 0-2, J. Hoffman 1-2.
2B - Cook. Anderson, Priddy. RBIs - Sprott, Cook. Harrington, Osellame, Priddy, J. Hoffman.
Glasgow 15, Florence 5
Whitney Swanson swatted two of the Scotties' three home runs but it was teammate Kelsie Archambeault who ended the game early via the 10-run margin rule.
Archambeault blasted a grand slam as part of Glasgow's six-run fifth inning. The game was called after she crossed the plate.
The Falcons were trailing just 9-5 heading into the frame and had a lead on the Scotties earlier, too.
“We were up 4-0 on them,” Williams said, “then they came back with some heavy bats, and we didn't recover.”
Swanson finished 3-for-4 and Brianna Grewe was 3-for-3 with two RBIs, while Archambeault did all her damage with one swing on offense. Archambeault also tossed a three-hitter on the rubber.
Glasgow collected a dozen hits and was helped by four Florence errors.
“We had two pop flies dropped in the outfield,” Williams said, “So, yeah we had some trouble with the rain.”
Shelby Meuchel was 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Falcons.
Florence 310 01 - 5 3 4
Glasgow 070 26 - 15 12 2
Kelsi Hoagland, Chelsea Ralls (5) and Chayla Pedersen. Kelsie Archambeault and Brittney Wersal. W - Archambeault. L - Hoagland.
FLORENCE - Kayla Schmid 1-4 Pedersen 0-1, Shelby Meuchel 2-3, Shanna Moore 0-4, Kaitlyn Rolshoven 0-3, Hoagland 0-2, Ralls 0-3, Moe Chapman 0-1, Cassie Pedersen 0-1.
GLASGOW - Whitney Swanson 3-4, Brittney Wersal 1-2, Dara Morehouse 0-0, Katelin Anderson 0-3, Shielda Pattison 1-4, Archambeault 1-2, Brianna Grewe 3-3, Shelby Fossum 1-2, Kaitlin Hagfeldt 0-3, Natalie Hopstad 2-3.
2B - Schmid. Wersal, Grewe. HR - Swanson 2, Archambeault. RBIs - Meuchel 2, Rolshoven, Hoagland. Swanson 4, Archambeault 4, Pattison, Grewe 2, Fossum 2, Hagfeldt, Hopstad.
Thompson Falls 6,
Huntley Project 1
Karli Cavill and Jessica Pfister each collected two-run hits in the Bluehawks' five-run third frame as Western B-C second seed Thompson Falls advanced in the winners' bracket.
Cavill broke a scoreless tie with a bases-loaded single before Pfister drove in two more with a two-run triple. Leadoff hitter Nicole Hagedorn added a solo homer for the Bluehawks in the fourth. She and catcher Katelyn Jedlicka each went 2-for-3.
Bria Howard allowed three hits in her complete-game effort for Thompson Falls. She struck out seven walked three and improved to 15-2.
Whitney Newman and Cassidy Klind had doubles for the Red Devils.
Huntley 000 100 0 - 1 3 1
T. Falls 005 100 x - 6 6 0
Steph Danielson and Whitney Newman. Bria Howard and Katelyn Jedlicka. W - Howard (15-2). L - Danielson.
HUNTLEY PROJECT - Teale Steffes 0-3, Tierney Balzer 1-3, Kaylee Klind 0-3, Newman 1-2, Cassidy Klind 1-3, Danielson 0-3, Taylor Tryan 0-1, Rebecca Cook 0-3, Bailey Johnson 0-2.
THOMPSON FALLS - Nicole Hagedorn 2-3, Katie Petteys 0-2, Karli Cavill 1-3, Jedlicka 2-3, Howard 0-3, Jessica Pfister 1-3, Makayla Becker 0-3, Kyla Molzhon 0-3, Hannah Peters 0-1.
2B - Newman, C Klind. 3B - Pfister. HR - Hagedorn. RBIs - Hagedorn, Cavill 2, Jedlicka, Pfister 2, C. Klind.
Columbus 9, Deer Lodge 6
The defending champion Renegades received a triple and two RBIs from Holli Michael and survived a late Wardens rally to earn the first-round victory.
Michael finished 2-for-4 and Shonna McClurg was 1-for-1 for Columbus, which was outhit 7-5 by Deer Lodge. The Renegades reaped the benefit of the Wardens' eight errors. Tiffany Morgan threw a complete game to get the win on the mound for Columbus.
Deer Lodge, in just its second year with a softball program, was led by catcher Karissa Dankers, who doubled twice and drove in two.
Deer Lodge 000 102 3 - 6 7 8
Columbus 260 001 x - 9 5 1
Krystal Burns and Karissa Dankers. Tiffany Morgan and Becca Morgan. W - T. Morgan. L - Burns.
DEER LODGE - Kenya Knutson 0-2, Karissa Daners 3-4, Kyla Micu 1-4, Krystal Burns 1-4, Jherianne Phillips 1-3, Lisa Clawson 0-3, Syd McKee 0-3, Andi Lambert 1-3, Ashley Powell 0-2.
COLUMBUS - Jessica Johnson 0-2, Shonna McClurg 1-1, Kaci Popp 0-4, Holli Michael 2-4, Sami Church 0-2, Annie Crawford 0-3, Falicia Anderson 0-2, Allegra Royce 1-2, Becca Blenkner 1-3, B. Morgan 0-3.
2B - Dankers 2. 3B - Michael. RBIs - Dankers 2, Burns, Michael 2, Anderson, Blenkner.
State B-C tournament
at Multi-Sports Complex,
Great Falls
Thursday
Columbus 9, Deer Lodge 6
Thompson Falls 6, Huntley Project 1
Loyola Sacred Heart 6, Shepherd 3
Glasgow 15, Florence 5
Friday
9 a.m. - Thompson Falls (21-2) vs. Columbus; Loyola Sacred Heart (20-2) vs. Glasgow.
11 a.m. - Deer Lodge (12-7) vs. Huntley Project, loser out; Florence (12-7) vs. Shepherd, loser out.
1 p.m. - Deer Lodge-Huntley Project winner vs. Columbus-T. Falls loser, loser out; Shepherd-Florence winner vs. Loyola-Glasgow loser, loser out.
3 p.m. - Columbus-T. Falls winner vs. Loyola-Glasgow winner, undefeated game; winners of 1 p.m. games, loser takes fourth.
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