Softball: Good run for the Lady Dawgs

GREAT FALLS - In order for teams to get anywhere in the state

tournament, they had to go through the Lady Bulldogs. While they

lost to the first and second place teams in the state,

Mission-Arlee-Charlo also won two games in tournament play.

GREAT FALLS - In order for teams to get anywhere in the state tournament, they had to go through the Lady Bulldogs. While they lost to the first and second place teams in the state, Mission-Arlee-Charlo also won two games in tournament play.

"We had a good run this year," Mission-Arlee-Charlo head coach Susan Weaselhead said. "I think it was great to see the three communities come together and make a team. I felt them come together, we called ourselves the MAC family and it was good stuff."

Swirling winds and bad weather affected play in Great Falls, but the Lady Bulldogs battled through.

"[Pitcher] Kyla Olson pitched some good games in rough conditions," Weaselhead said. "Sometimes the gusts would make it look like she had quite the curve ball."

Her pitcher finished the season earning all-conference and all-state honors.

In the first round, the Lady Bulldogs pounded Cut Bank 16-6 behind two home runs and five RBIs by Kinley Pope.

"She stepped up her play the whole tournament," Weaselhead said. "She played a strong defensive game too."

Pope was also named to the all-conference team. While things were tied up 5-5 going into the bottom of the fourth, the Lady Bulldogs exploded for seven runs to take the commanding lead.

They would score four more in the bottom of the fifth to 10-run-rule Cut Bank and cut the game short. MAC, as a team, collected 12 hits and took advantage of nine errors by their opponent.

Sara Nerby, Janeal McDonald, Kyla Olson and Pope all had multi-hit games while Sariha Camacho drove in three runs.

Against Stillwater the next day, MAC couldn't get the runs going and fell 11-1. The Lady Bulldogs had a respectable seven hits, but Stillwater scored five in the second inning and four more in the fourth en route to the win.

"Obviously there were a couple games where we had trouble getting our bats going," Weaselhead said. "We just had a hard time getting in the gaps."

She added that there were several good hits with baserunners but that they were hit towards fielders.

After finding themselves in the consolation bracket, MAC faced up against conference foe Plains, and like the other time these teams played, the Lady Bulldogs came out victorious, 7-3.

Loren Erickson drove in two runs on 2-for-4 batting, and catcher Alyssa Doty also drove in two runs. Plains was held to three hits and committed seven errors in the game

that saw both teams tied 2-2 going into the top of the third.

MAC scored three in that frame and added a run apiece in the next two innings for the win, which knocked the Trotters out of the tournament.

That pitted the Lady Bulldogs against another familiar opponent, Loyola Sacred Heart. In divisionals, they had gotten the best of pitcher Sarah Goodman, but this time,

the Breaker pitched a four-hit shutout against MAC.

Behind strong defense, Loyola built its lead in the first three innings while Goodman kept the Lady Bulldogs' bats in check.

MAC finishes the season with the school's first ever divisional championship and a 17-5 record.

MAC 16, CUT BANK 6

C - 401 - 01 - 6

M - 410 - 74 - 16

Cut Bank - 5 hits, 9 errors. MAC - 12 hits, 6 errors

Lady Bulldogs batting - Sara Nerby 2-4, Loren Erickson 1-4, Kinley Pope 3-4, Janeal McDonald 2-4, Kyla Olson 2-4, Serena Long 0-2, Sierra Scott 0-1, Jessica Foust 0-2, Sariha Camacho 1-4, Alyssa Doty 1-4, Mahalia Hendren 1-1.

Doubles - Pope, McDonald, Olson, Camacho. Triples - Nerby. RBIs - Pope 5, Erickson, McDonald, Long, Camacho 3, Doty, Hendren.

LB Pitching - Olson gets win.

STILLWATER 11, MAC 1

M - 001 - 000 - 1

S - 050 - 402 - 11

MAC - 7 hit, 0 errors. SW - 13 hits, 0 errors

Lady Bulldogs batting - Sara Nerby 1-3, Kinley Pope 1-3, Kyla Olson 0-2, Trinda Foust 1-2, Sariha Comacho 1-2, Serena Long 0-3, Alyssa Doty 2-2, Loren Erickson 1-3, Janeal McDonald 0-3. RBIs - Erickson.

LB Pitching - Olson gets loss.

MAC 7, PLAINS 3

M - 203 - 110 - 0 - 7

P - 110 - 100- 0 - 3

MAC - 9 hits, 0 errors. Plains - 3 hits, 7 errors

Lady Bulldogs batting - Sara Nerby 0-2, Loren Erickson 2-4, Kinley Pope 0-4, Janeal McDonald 3-4, Kyla Olson 0-4, Serena Long 0-4, Sariha Camacho 2-4, Alyssa Doty 1-4, Jessica Foust 0-1, Mahalia Hendren 1-2.

RBIs - Erickson 2, Doty 2. LB Pitching - Olson gets the win.

LOYOLA 6, MAC 0

L - 211 - 200 - 0 - 6

M - 000 - 000 - 0 - 0

MAC - 4 hits, 1 error. Loyola - 10 hits, 0 errors

Lady Bulldogs batting - Sara Nerby 1-3, Loren Erickson 0-3, Kinley Pope 0-3, Janeal McDonald 1-3, Kyla Olson 1-3, Serena Long 1-3, Sariha Camacho 0-2, Alyssa Doty 0-3, Jessica Foust 0-1, Mahalia Hendren 0-1.