Second round of Western AA divisional softball postponed
MISSOULA — Persistent rain and worsening field conditions forced officials to postpone the second round of Western AA divisional softball play on Friday.
Games are scheduled to resume at 11 a.m. today, starting with the second round. Loser out games are set for 1 p.m. and the consolation and championship games will be at 3 p.m., weather permitting.
Further delays are not possible, since any remaining tournament games cannot be played on Sunday. If weather and field conditions are poor enough to prevent play from continuing at any point in the day, the remainder of the tournament will be canceled and MHSA will revert to the division’s original seeding to determine who will advance to the state tournament.
In a strange twist, that would mean Helena High would go to state as the No. 4 seed instead of No. 5 Missoula Hellgate, even though Hellgate beat Helena 13-9 on Friday.
If all goes as scheduled, Glacier, who got a bye out of the first round, will play Hellgate today at 11.
“We’re a little disappointed we didn’t get to play today (Friday) but we’re excited to get out and play hard tomorrow,” Glacier coach Abby Connolly said.
Connolly said Glacier was nearly done with its pregame warmup when word came around 1:30 p.m. that play was canceled for the day.
“The high traffic areas were getting unsafe and the outfield was pretty wet,” she said.
“It was wet but the fields were playable,” Flathead coach Jack Foster said. “It got worse later.”
The Wolfpack stuck around to watch the end of Missoula Sentinel versus Big Sky before heading to their hotel. Sentinel won 24-5.
Flathead played Helena Capital in one of the three first-round games and lost 12-2.
Carissa Comer returned from injury and pitched five innings in her first game in a month.
“She pitched really well for being out for a month, she did a really good job,” Foster said.
The Bravettes scored two runs on two hits. Brianna Morales and Sydney Olson each had one hit.
Morales also doubled and had one RBI.
Flathead will get Riley Chouinard and Kayla Callis back today against Big Sky after missing the first day of games for IB testing.
Foster said four JV players started against Capital on Friday, between injuries and the absence of two starters, Callis and Chouinard.
“They did a great job but its a tough job,” Foster said of his younger players.
“We’ll get them back next year and they’ll be better because they’ve got a little experience.”
The Bravettes will play Big Sky in loser-out play today at 11 a.m.
Helena Capital 033 42 — 12 13 0
Flathead 101 00 — 2 2 3
W — Maddie Davis, Nicole Ames (3), Jaedyn Kent (5), Lauren Archie.
L — Carissa Comer and Sydney Olson.
CAPITAL — Jenna Priddy 1-2, Mashayla O’Malley 1-3, N. Ames 2-4, Archie 2-4, Kendall Isaacson 2-3, Sara Bury 3-3, Ally McMillan 2-3, Davis 0-2, Janay Buckley 0-1, Riley Ames 0-2, Tasha Pearson 0-1.
FLATHEAD — Macy Craver 0-2, Olson 1-2, Illysa Centner 0-2, Brianna Morales 1-3, Comer 0-0, Maddie Engle 0-2, Alyssa Poe-Hatton 0-1, Aspen Rush 0-2, Jaden Rush 0-2.
2B — Archie (2); Morales; RBI — N. Ames, Archie (3), Isaacson (2), Bury; Morales, Comer.