Olivia Squared
FRITZ NEIGHBOR | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 3 months AGO
Glacier's Olivia Warriner (10) connects on a three-run home run, her second home run of the game, against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier pitcher Olivia Gibbons (4) delivers against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Reese Conley (17) connects on a single against Glacier at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier celebrates as Olivia Warriner (10) touches home plate after a solo home run against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead pitcher Macey McIlhargey (3) throws to first for an out against Glacier at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier shortstop Nakiah Persinger (8) throws to first for an out against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead pitcher Lacie Franklin (22) delivers against Glacier at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier's Addy Cunningham (19) drives in two runs against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Mackenzie Brandt (8) makes a catch at the center field fence against Glacier at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
SPORTS EDITOR Fritz Neighbor is the Sports Editor for the Daily Inter Lake. He oversees sports coverage across the Flathead Valley, including high school athletics, youth sports, and regional competitions. In his leadership role, he helps shape the newspaper’s sports coverage and editorial direction. Fritz’s column, Full Count, taps into his decades’ long career covering Montana sports. You’ll also see Fritz sharing his thoughts and insights on the Big Sky Now podcast. IMPACT: Fritz’s work celebrates the athletes and teams that bring Northwest Montana communities together. | April 18, 2025 12:00 AM
Down 1-0 out of the gate, the Glacier Wolfpack answered with their two Olivias — and those two did some serious damage on their home field.
Olivia Gibbons’ grand slam in the first inning gave the Wolfpack the lead for good, and Olivia Warriner supplied two home runs in the fourth inning as Glacier rolled to a 15-1 win over Flathead in a Crosstown softball game.
The Pack improved to 6-2 overall and 4-2 in Western AA action with the victory, which ended in the fifth inning under the mercy rule.
Flathead (1-8 overall, 1-5 in league) had its moments, including a solo home run by Kinsey Lake in the first inning and a fence-line catch from Mackenzie Brandt in the second.
But Glacier, coming off an 11-0 win at Missoula Hellgate in which it didn’t score until the fourth inning, got on the board early and often Tuesday.
“We have really challenged them to come out strong,” Glacier coach Abby Snipes said. “We know that Hellgate game we didn’t start quite how we wanted to and I’m super proud of how they responded to the challenge today — to come out and just be really dominant from the get-go.”
Gibbons shook off Lake’s home run in the first — “I was trying to throw a drop and it just kind of floated,” the pitcher said — with her own shot to left field off Flathead’s Macey McIlhargey.
“I kind of had seen her pitch before,” Gibbons said. “She is one of my friends and I like hitting against people I know. So then when I saw the bases get loaded, I knew I had to stay calm and relaxed and do what I knew how to do.”
Those were all the runs Glacier needed, but Nakiah Peringer hit a two-run homer in the second inning that would have been way gone without the prevailing winds at Glacier’s field. That made it 6-1.
In the fourth the Pack put up eight runs, thanks in part to four walks. Warriner began the rally with a leadoff home run and capped it with a three-run shot to center field.
Gibbons went four innings in the circle, allowing four hits, a walk and Lake’s homer. She fanned five. Warriner threw the fifth inning, working around a single. She fanned two.
Taylor Vivian had two hits and scored two runs for Glacier; Khirsten Terrell drew two walks — one with the bases loaded — and scored twice. Persinger also scored twice and Warriner scored three times.
Glacier and Flathead next head to the Great Falls Crossover Tournament on Saturday.
Brandt, who had a single, Lake and Reese Conley all had sharp hits Tuesday for the Bravettes, who played solid defense but issued eight free passes.
“I’m proud of how our kids battled,” Flathead coach Brittany Williams said. “We hit a lot of balls hard. We have a lot of positives to build on going into our second round of conference.”
Flathead 100 00 - 1 5 1
Glacier 421 8x - 15 11 0
Macey McIlhargey, Lacie Franklin (4) and Reese Conley. Olivia Gibbons, Olivia Warriner (5) and Cazz Rankosky.
FLATHEAD — Mackenzie Brandt 1-3, Kinsey Lake 1-3, Conley 1-3, Olivia Nyman 0-2, McIlhargey 0-1, Danica Hennell 0-2, Franklin 1-2, Paulina Holland 0-2, Makenna Korf 1-2.
GLACIER — Nakiah Persinger 1-2, Chloe Farrell 0-1, Rankosky 0-3, Ady Cunningham 1-2, Warriner 2-2, Gibbons 2-2, Taelor Holt 0-1, Ava Grady 0-2, Aubrey Gerber 1-1, Karley Allen 1-2, Taylor Vivian 2-2, Kaydee Walcheck 1-3, Khirsten Terrell 0-2.
HR — Lake, Warriner 2, Gibbons, Persinger. RBIs — Lake, Warriner 4, Gibbons 4, Persinger 3, Cunningham 2, Vivian, Terrell.
Glacier pitcher Olivia Gibbons (4) delivers against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Reese Conley (17) connects on a single against Glacier at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier celebrates as Olivia Warriner (10) touches home plate after a solo home run against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead pitcher Macey McIlhargey (3) throws to first for an out against Glacier at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier shortstop Nakiah Persinger (8) throws to first for an out against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead pitcher Lacie Franklin (22) delivers against Glacier at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier's Addy Cunningham (19) drives in two runs against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Mackenzie Brandt (8) makes a catch at the center field fence against Glacier at Glacier High School on Thursday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
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