Glacier softball wins three time, advances to Saturday at State AA

GREAT FALLS — The Glacier Wolfpack softball squad won’t quit. 

Facing elimination, the Wolfpack won three times Friday to advance to the final three of the State AA softball tournament.  

Glacier, runners-up last spring and state champions in 2023, beat Missoula Sentinel 12-3, Gallatin 9-5 and Missoula Big Sky 6-4. 

The latter put the Wolfpack (19-4) in a loser-takes-third battle with Billings West Saturday at 10 a.m. West knocked Glacier into the loser’s bracket Thursday, 14-3. 

The winner faces Billings Senior in Saturday’s championship. Senior beat West 14-5 in the winner’s bracket semifinal on Friday. 

Glacier 12, Sentinel 3

Down 2-0 early, Glacier scored the game’s next six runs and didn’t look back. Back-to-back RBI singles from Taylor Vivian and Karley Allen put the Pack ahead for good, 3-2, in the first inning; Aubree Gerber hit an RBI double in the third inning and Olivia Gibbons smacked a three-run home run in the sixth. 

Gibbons started in the circle, going 3 1-3 innings with one earned run allowed and five strikeouts; Ava Grady fanned five in 3 2-3 innings of relief. 

Sentinel ended up 12-12. 

Sentinel    200    100    0    -    3    10    1 

Glacier    312    213    x    -    12    11    1

Alyssa Hanninen, Makenna Straub (3) and Nina Sammoury. Olivia Gibbons, Ava Grady (4) and Cazz Rankosky. 

MISSOULA SENTINEL — Brooklyn Wright 2-4, Hanninen 2-3, Sammoury 1-3, Sydney Goldbar 1-4, Haley Sellers 0-4, Straub 1-4, Kai Gillis 0-1, Hailey Papp 0-2, Makenna Thorson 0-2, Payton Taylor 1-1, Layla Brushia 1-2, Rachel Taylor 1-1. 

GLACIER — Nakiah Persinger 1-4, Rankosky 0-1, Olivia Warriner, Gibbons 1-3, Taylor Vivian 1-3, Karley Allen 3-3, Aubree Gerber 2-4, Kaydee Walchek 0-4, Khirsten Terriel 0-0. 

2B — Hanninen, Gerber 2, Warriner. HR — Gibbons. RBIs — Hanninen, Sellers, Gibbons 3, Vivian 2, Allen 2, Rankosky, Warriner, Gerber, Terrell.  

Glacier 9, Gallatin 5

Gibbons homered again in this one, following up Olivia Warriner’s RBI double with a three-run shot to center. That put the Wolfpack up for good, 4-2, and the gap grew to 8-2 in the fifth thanks to three unearned runs. 

Gerber doubled for the third time in three games; Gibbons also doubled and had four RBIs. Glacier had six extra base hits. Warriner, Allen and Cazz Rankosky all scored twice. 

In the circle, Gibbons was lifted with one out in the second and Grady pitched 4 2-3 innings, allowing four hits and two runs with four strikeouts. Warriner pitched the seventh. 

Gallatin ended up 14-7. 

Glacier    004    131    0    -    9    11    1 

Gallatin    110    002    1    -    5    12    3

Gibbons, Grady (2), Warriner (7) and Rankosky. Olivia Klemann, Addison Bliele (5) and Claire Fennelly. 

GLACIER — Persinger 0-4, Rankosky 1-4, Warriner 1-4, Gibbons 1-4, Vivian 1-4, Allen 3-4, Gerber 2-4, Walcheck 1-2, Terrell 1-3, Taeler Holt 0-0. 

GALLATIN — Kelly Coon 1-4, Parker Stevens 2-4, Zoe Bassham 1-4, Klemann 2-4, Bleile 2-4, Madison Coleman 0-2, Fennelly 3-4, Adyson Ryles 0-3, Shayla Clark 1-2. 

2B — Allen, Warriner, Gerber, Rankosky, Vivian, Bassham. HR — Gibbons, Fennelly. RBIs — Gibbons 4, Warriner, Vivian, Walcheck, Fennely 2, Coon, Klemann, Bleile. 

Glacier 6, Big Sky 4

The Big Sky Eagles, who ousted Western AA champion Helena High (17-4) earlier Friday, took a 3-2 lead in the second inning thanks to an RBI double from Kyler Latrielle and an RBI single from Hayden Weaver. 

The Pack responded with two runs in the third — Gerber’s single scored Allen and Vivian, who had singled and walked — and didn’t look back after making it 4-3. Gibbons added an RBI single in the fourth inning and Khirsten Terrell drove home a run with a base knock in the sixth. 

That 6-3 lead held up, with Warriner throwing 3 2-3 innings of solid relief (four hits and one run allowed) before Grady got the final four outs, three by strikeout. 

Big Sky ended up 18-5. 

Glacier    112    110    0    -    6    12    0 

Big Sky    120    010    0    -    4    9    3

Gibbons, Warriner (3), Grady (6) and Rankosky. Briella Wilson, Sara Bjornson (4) and Hailey Nicoson. 

GLACIER — Persinger 2-3, Rankosky 0-4, Warriner 2-4, Gibbons 1-4, Vivian 0-3, Allen 2-4, Gerber 2-4, Walchek 1-3, Terrell 2-3. 

MISSOULA BIG SKY — Kyler Latrielle 1-4, Hayden Weaver 2-4, Sadie McGuinn 1-4, Aubrey Bykari 2-3, Irene Griswold 1-4, Bjornson 0-3, Wilson 0-2, Kaya Lopez 1-1, Logan Latrielle 1-2, Nicoson 0-3. 

2B — Persinger, Allen, Bykari, K.Latrielle. RBIs — Gerber 3, Terrell, Gibbons, Griswold 2, K.Latrielle, Weaver. 

State AA 

May 22-24, Great Falls 

Thursday

Belgrade 8, Missoula Sentinel 2 

Billings West 14, Glacier 3 

Gallatin 8, Helena 5 

Billings Senior 15, Missoula Big Sky 5 

Friday

Billings West 10, Belgrade 6 

Billings Senior 14, Gallatin 4 

Glacier 12, Missoula Sentinel 3 

Big Sky 6, Helena 2 

Glacier 9, Gallatin 5, lo 

Big Sky 8, Belgrade 4, lo 

Billings Senior 14, Billings West 5, semifinal 

Glacier 6, Big Sky 4, loser fourth 

Saturday

Game 13: Glacier (19-4) vs. Billings West (15-7), 10 a.m., loser third 

Game 14: Winner 13 vs. Billings Senior (16-5), noon, championship 

Game 15: If necessary