To judge how far the Flathead softball team came in 2021, we submit two games.

The first is the Bravettes’ 12-11, come from behind, loser-out win over Missoula Big Sky at last week’s Western AA Divisional.

The other is a game from April 13, when that same Big Sky team beat the Bravettes 30-10.

Last year was supposed to be the year a youthful Flathead softball program began making strides, but that was delayed by the pandemic, and so this spring was the time to make some noise.

It took them a minute, but the Bravettes did.

“I think we definitely came together better as a team than we have before,” said pitcher Karissa Comer, one of six seniors. “I did. I've known these girls a long time. We’ve played together for many years.”

It’s notable that four days after that April Big Sky loss, the Bravettes went on the road and beat the Helena Bengals 12-7. That first win is always big, but also: Helena is one of two teams to beat Glacier this season, and Glacier beat divisional champ Sentinel three times, and who’s to say things couldn’t be different?

“That was a big confidence booster,” said Comer. “We realized, ‘We’re here, and we can win games. We can compete with any team out there.’ “

Jack Foster, the veteran Post Falls, Idaho coach who retired to Kalispell only to unretire and coach some more, is bullish on the Bravettes.

“We were in every game the rest of the season,” Flathead’s fifth-year head coach said. “Other than our trip to Butte. Then we got down to divisionals and we kind of ran out of gas.”

Or namely, Comer did. Owner of a 3.7 grade-point average and an above-average glove at first base, she became the mainstay on the mound.

Flathead has name recognition, in that it has a lot of “issa’s.” Karissa Comer became the main pitcher when Ilyssa Centner, who had shared the innings fairly evenly, became injured.

Neither player is to be confused with Alyssa Poe-Hatten or No. 3 hitter Alyssa Cadwalader (or Alyssa Habel; she graduated in 2020). The point is Comer threw almost every inning at divisionals, as she did in the Flathead’s five final regular-season games.

“She would rather have played first,” Foster said. “But the thing is, she’s pitched better and better each year. She pitched really well this year. Her record doesn’t reflect it, but she really did well for us.”

After the Big Sky win, Flathead fell to Helena and ended up 6-16.

But what a win that was. The Bravettes scored 10 straight runs, including a 2-run homer from Centner, to build a 12-8 lead. Then they saw Big Sky close to 12-11 before loading the bases with nobody out in the final inning.

Two straight force plays at home followed; on the second, as Flathead relayed a throw to first base, Big Sky’s runner on second tried to score.

“We threw home and got her in a pickle,” Comer said. “I ended up tagging her out.”

It was the first divisional win for these Flathead seniors. While Comer would have one more highlight -- a 2-run homer in that final loss to Helena -- this was big.

“The biggest thing was we realized we needed to execute and get our job done,” Comer said.

A solid nucleus -- outfielders Macy Craver, Kaidyn Lake and Kyrah Farrington, catcher Laynee Vesser, infielder Ellie Eve -- will return in 2022. They should benefit from a year in which the program moved forward, from two wins in 2019 to this spring.

That missing year, though.

“I think we would have gone a long way,” Comer said. “Being such a young team and missing that one development year with a bunch of those young players all coming together -- that would have been very beneficial.”

Foster is going to miss the positivity and leadership of Comer.

“She’s really the one kid that was a four-year starter. Or would have been,” he said. “She and I just sit and visit.”

Sounding board/pitcher/first basemen don’t grow on trees, but Foster likes where things are. There is no other way except forward.

“They’re cool kids,” he says of his team. “I think we’re going in the right direction.”

Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 758-4463 or at fneighbor@dailyinterlake.com.