Bulldogs cant hold Loyola

MISSOULA — For the Mission softball team, a couple of scrimmages at Hellgate JV on Saturday gave the team a chance to work out some kinks after another tough conference loss to Loyola Sacred Heart on Monday - this one on the Bulldog’s home field in St. Ignatius.

Mission took the lead back mid-game after letting Loyola jump up early, but seven Mission errors ultimately let Loyola slide to an 8-3 win later on.

Down 1-0 going into the bottom of the third inning, Mission found a couple bats in Charlo freshman Kinley Pope and Mission junior Katie McDonald to get on base. With Arlee senior Kelci Apland up to bat, a string of Loyola errors helped Pope and McDonald cross home plate to gain a 2-1 lead.

Loyola came up with four runs in the fifth and Mission was able to answer with one in the bottom of that inning.

But after Katie popped a sacrifice fly to score Dalena Weaselhead, the inning ended in disappointment for the Bulldogs.

With two on base and no outs, it seemed like the perfect time to regain the lead.

But Loyola’s Sarah Goodman wasn’t having it. She finished off the next three Mission batters and then held Mission to zip in the final two innings of play. Meanwhile, Loyola added three more runs to take the game.

Mission senior Mattea Grant pitched nine strikeouts in the game and freshman Janeal McDonald went 2-4 with a double.

The loss came down to one thing, head coach Tom Peterson said.

“We just didn’t play mentally tough. We had too many errors,” he said. “Seven errors - There’s just no way you can beat a team like Loyola with that many errors. They are just one of those teams that have something over us and we have to be able to get past that.”

Regardless of the results of the two first meetings - both wins for Loyola - Peterson remains convinced that his team can play with its opponents when it brings its “A” game.

From pitching and swinging the bats to play in the field, he said his team can hang.

“Everything’s good enough we just need to be mentally tough for seven innings and we can compete with them,” he said.

Good fielding takes the pressure off Grant, who doesn’t make it easy on her opponents when momentum’s on the Bulldog side, he said.

“It’s one of those things where you get on a roll one way or another. When your defense is making plays, you can throw it hard. When they’re not there’s more pressure on you, and you feel like you have to do it all yourself,” he said.

At Hellgate, the team’s matched the starters against each other in the first game, then put in the second string for the second contest. Bringing the top Mission lineup, the Bulldogs took the first game 5-1, then fell 6-4.

Mission added runs throughout the first game, starting early with two runs in the first.

Pope and Katie got on base with singles then Apland got on with two errors, scoring both runs, a mirror of the third inning against Loyola.

In the third, Grant was walked then driven in by Katie with a single.

In the fourth, it was Charlo junior Stephanie Murphy who found her bat for the RBI.

A little pinch running helped Mission gain its last run after a collision at first caused two injuries. Kyla Olson and the Hellgate first baseman collided. Olson was hurt, but not seriously. The Loyola first baseman had to be taken away by an ambulance with a dislocated elbow and Olson went to the bench.

After the unfortunate collision, Kilee Bartschi became the runner. Bartschi stole second and third then was sent home by Pope.

Mission hosts Thompson Falls at 4 p.m. on Thursday, then hosts Deer Lodge for a double header at 4 p.m. on Friday and plays at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Florence.