Team heading to national softball tournament at the end of July

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

A group of local softball players recently took inspiration from watching the U.S. Olympic team, and it carried over to their play on the field.

The Flathead Monsters are an under-16 traveling summer softball team comprised of six Whitefish girls and several Columbia Falls and Kalispell players.

They finished fifth in their bracket at the Montana ASA Junior Olympic Fastpitch Softball Tournament at Conrad Complex in Kalispell over the weekend.

Sixty-two teams from across the state were in town, and Flathead had 14 teams in their division.

The Monsters' first game on Thursday started at 9 a.m., but they didn't get back to Whitefish until 3:30 the previous night after watching the U.S. team play in Spokane.

"I'm still recovering, but I would do that 100 times again," head coach Alan Compton said. "Just for them to be able to see those women. Even the batting practice was awesome. It was just home run after home run."

The Monsters, running on just a few hours sleep, started off slow against Missoula Hellgate. They fell into a 1-8 hole, but something clicked late in the game.

They rallied to make the game 6-8 with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning. The Missoula coaches were biting their nails, but an unlucky grounder saved them from the upset.

The Monsters took the momentum from that late rally and used it to blow away Havre 8-0 on Saturday morning.

"It was a good game, we hit well," Compton said. "We also had a couple really nice defensive plays."

The game of the weekend came when the Monsters faced the Columbia Falls Flames in the elimination bracket. Flathead got down early, falling behind by eight runs going into the seventh and final inning.

"I can't remember if we were ever ahead in that game," Compton said. "In the seventh inning, we scored eight runs and tied it up to go to extra innings."

In the eighth inning, the Monsters scored four more runs to the Flames' zero, and they won the game to take fifth overall.

"Going into the tournament, we had lost 11 in a row," Compton said. "So to come in and do what we did was really nice. It showed that we have the skills, we just needed to figure out how to win. The comeback games were especially nice."

The Monsters have played a seven-week season, with at least four games a week.

"It was a lot of games," Compton said. "But what mattered was how we did this weekend."

The team will be in Portland, Ore., on July 29 - Aug. 3 for the National ASA softball tournament. In the meantime, they'll be trying to raise funds and get sponsors to pay for the trip.

"They can't hardly wait," Compton said. "For them, it's a chance to go see what the play is at the next level."

It's also a chance for the girls to be seen by scouts and college coaches, she said.

"They all understand that they have a chance to compete, and maybe do something like we did at state and place well, and show what they can do for the college coaches," Compton said. "It's not about wins and losses — it's about seeing the next level."

Compton said he believes his girls have a chance to make some noise at the national level, although he knows none of the girls are really hoping for a national title.

"I've been coaching softball for eight or nine years, and this is the most talented team I've had," he said. "Next year, people better watch out for this team, they have just a ton of talent. That was my goal, to start building for the future. They're great athletes."

The Flathead Monsters will host a fundraising car wash in Whitefish on July 26. For more information, e-mail Compton at jamiecompton2000@yahoo.com.