MISSOULA — The Glacier Wolfpack got better the longer Friday got, and when you add in a 3.5-hour lightning delay, that’s pretty long.

They were up 3-1 on Billings Senior when the State AA softball tournament at Fort Missoula was delayed; when they started back up they tacked on five runs in the fifth and sixth innings of an 8-1 win. 

That came after opening the day with an 8-7 win over Missoula Big Sky that was touch-and-go. Late Friday the Pack put away Belgrade 12-2 with a nine-run fifth inning; when the Panthers didn’t score in their half, the game ended under the run rule. 

The three wins set the defending champion Wolfpack (20-4) up with a 10 a.m. rematch against Great Falls CMR, the team that knocked them into the loser’s bracket with a 5-2 win on Thursday.  

That game and the championship, set for noon, will take place at the University of Montana Softball Field. 

Billings West beat CMR 2-0 in Friday’s late unbeaten semifinal. 

Glacier 8, Big Sky 7 

The Eagles took a 5-1 lead with a four-run fourth inning, thanks in large part to a two-run triple by Kaya Lopez.  

Glacier got two runs back in the fourth on a Sophia Frederick RBI single and a Tensley Conner RBI double, and two more in the fifth when Emma Smith hit a ringing two-run two-bagger. 

Then a two-out dropped popup in the top of the sixth brought Big Sky’s Addie Martin to the plate, and her home run put the Eagles back in front, 7-5.  

It was soon Big Sky’s turn to be shaky: Glacier’s sixth went walk, error, bunt, walk to lead the bases, RBI walk to Olivia Warriner, RBI grounder by Taelor Holt in which everyone was safe, and another bases-loaded walk to Ava Grady.  

That brought in Karley Allen with the go-ahead run, and Grady pitched around two, two-out singles in the seventh. She struck out the next batter, her fifth K of the game, to end it. 

Big Sky ended up 14-7 

Big Sky    100    402    0    -    7    8    1 

Glacier    010    223    x    -    8    7    2

Peyton Walters, Sara Bjornson (6), Walters (6) and Hailey Nicoson. Olivia Warriner, Ava Grady (4) and Emma Smith. 

MISSOULA BIG SKY — Hayden Weaver 1-4, Bjornson 1-4, Nicoson 1-2, Walters 1-4, Madison Norcross 0-4, Logan Latrielle 0-3, Aubrey Bykari 1-3, Brielle Wilson 0-1, Addie Martin 2-2, Elise Regan 0-1, Kaya Lopez 1-2. 

GLACIER — Karley Allen 0-3, Warriner 0-3, Taelor Holt 0-3, Grady 2-2, Smith 2-4, Sophia Frederick 2-4, Tensley Conner 1-2, Addy Cuningham 0-3, Lanee Anderson 0-1, Joslyn Croffs 0-0. 

2B —  3B — Lopez. HR — Martin, Grady. RBIs — Martin 3, Lopez 2, Nicoson, Grady 2, Smith 2, Warriner, Frederick, Conner. 

Glacier 8, Senior 1 

Grady homered for the second straight game, a leadoff solo shot that put the Pack up 3-0 in the third. 

Senior (9-8) got a run early in the fourth inning, and with one out and runners on second and third, Grady came on in relief of Warriner.  

Grady cruised and Glacier got RBI singles from her and from Addy Cunningham in the fifth for a 5-1 lead. The Pack used four singles, a wild pitch and an error to add three runs in the sixth. 

Grady fanned five Broncs in 3 2-3 innings; she gave up one hit. 

Senior    000    100    0    -    1    5    3 

Glacier    021    023    x    -    8    10    1

Maggie Snyder, Sage Fuqua (2), Rayvin Fisher (3) and Tessa Jones. Warriner, Grady (4) and Smith. 

BILLINGS SENIOR — Ivy Runsabove 1-4, Sloan Shuland 1-3, Jones 0-4, S Jennings 1-3, Makenna Murdoch 0-3, Hannah Chapel 1-3, Fuqua 1-3, Carmen Federico 0-2, Ailey Kautz-Stryjewski 0-3. 

GLACIER — Allen 1-2, Warriner 0-2, Holt 1-4, Grady 3-4, Smith 2-4, Frederick 1-3, Conner 1-4, Cunningham 1-3, Anderson 0-1, Ella Bailey 0-1, Crofts 0-0. 

2B — Runsabove. HR — Grady.  RBIs — Fuqua, Warriner, Grady, Frederick, Conner, Cunningham. 

Glacier 12, Belgrade 2

Belgrade cut a 3-0 third-inning deficit to 3-2 in the fourth on Carleigh Welch’s RBI single, only to see Grady: 

a) take over the circle with one out and fan the next two Panthers and; 

b) follow Taelor Holt’s lead off double in the fifth with a two-run home run, her third big fly in three games.  

The inning went on a while, with Addy Cunningham drawing a bases-loaded walk and Lanee Anderson and Karley Allen hitting RBI singles before Holt belted a three-run triple to right center. Grady then singled off the pitcher’s leg to score Holt and it was 12-2. 

The Panthers couldn’t extent the game in the fifth and finished 18-6. 

Glacier    201    09    -    12    11    1 

Belgrade    001    10    -    2    -4    2

Warriner, Grady 94) and Smith. Londyn Freese, Leah Larson (3), Mallory Zimmer (5), Larson (5) and Kinna Griffis. 

GLACIER — Allen 1-3, Warriner 1-4, Holt 3-4, Grady 2-4, Smith 2-3, Frederick 1-3, M Mayer 0-1, Conner 0-2, Cunningham 0-1, Anderson 1-3, Crofts 0-0. 

BELGRADE — Griffis 2-2, Brooke Stump 1-2, Bailee White 0-3, Krissy Carrillo 0-1, Trinity Marble 0-2, Rylee Feight 0-2, Carleigh Welch 0-2, Peyton Main 0-2, Paige Fulton 0-2, Maya Hoskins 0-0. 

2B — Holt, Griffin. 3B — Holt. HR — Grady. RBIs — Holt 4, Grady 4, Allen, Frederick, Cunningham, Anderson, Griffis, Welch.