Lady Bulldogs get downright offensive

By B.L. Azure

Mattea Grant has been cutting a rut in the base paths recently and has shown no fear when it comes to scoring. After tripling to get on third Grant knocks over Plains catcher Megan Oberweiser and scores. (B.L. Azure photo)

ST. IGNATIUS - The Lady Bulldogs control their own destiny heading into the final two weeks of the season that ends on May 17. The L-Dogs close out the season with eight games in a 14-day span. The cluster of games at the end of the season is due to weather-related cancellations earlier.

"These games will determine our destiny. They'll decide whether or not we'll advance to the state tournament. Right now Loyola and Thompson Falls are sitting on top of the Western B-C Conference and are shoe-ins for state," said Lady Bulldogs coach Steve Woll. "We are sitting on the fence. We could fall on either side of it."

There is a jumble of teams fighting for the final two spots from the West. "Deer Lodge, Troy and us have control of our destinies. Noxon and Florence have outside shots," Woll said. "I will have a better idea of our chances after the end of the week. It could come down to the final game of the season."

Woll said the recent tournament in Conrad that featured scoops of the crème de le crème of softball teams from both sides of the Continental Divide was a good test for his charges. The Lady Dogs had their way the opening day of the tourney topping Poplar and Sunburst and their day was had the second day when they were topped by Shepard and Columbus. The latter is the defending State B-C champion and has all its starters from that team back.

"It was an awesome tournament. We played some great competition there," Woll said. "We split our games but we didn't back down. We didn't fold in any of them. We gained a lot of confidence on that trip. We are not afraid of anyone now. We'll need that confidence in these final two weeks."

That confidence was tested last week in the Lady Dogs make-up game against Lady Falcons at Florence. The L-Dogs lost the game in extra innings by one point. They had a chance to stash the bone twice but two-out, two strike situations went against them. In the bottom of the seventh inning a clutch hit by Florence knotted the score and in the eighth inning a walk once again knotted the score. Florence then pushed across the winning run with a hit.

"Florence was a real heartbreaker but hey we came back today," Woll said following the Drummond game Saturday. "We ended a three-game losing skid by winning today. Hopefully this is the start of a new streak, a winning streak."

Mission 17, Drummond 1

Kyla Olson stretches for a put out at first however the umpire said she pulled her foot. (B.L. Azure photo)

It was all quiet on the Western Front until the bottom of third inning of the game between the Lady Trojans of Drummond and the Lady Bulldogs.

Both pitchers were setting them up and knocking them down at the beginning of the game thanks to on-target pitching and good fielding.

The Lady Bulldogs wagged out to a 1-0 lead after one inning. Pitching and defense owned the second inning as both teams looked sharp in the field and the pitchers looked in control consequently neither team scored. Drummond pushed across a run in the top of the third inning to knot the score at 1-1.

Then the bottom fell out of the Lady Trojans' horse bucket in the bottom of the third. That's when the Lady Bulldogs' bats and Drummond pitcher Emily Angelo's offerings collided in the sweet spot. By time the dust settled in the third inning it was all over but the crying as the L-Dogs pushed across 11 runs to take a commanding 12-1 lead.

Big boppers Katie McDonald and Mattea Grant each knocked in three runs with bases-loaded triples in - appropriately - the third inning.

Mattea Grant led the Lady Bulldogs with a 4-for-4 effort that included two triples and six runs batted in. Katie McDonald knocked in three runs with a triple and Bella Dally pushed across two runs with a pair of singles.

Kyla Olson tossed three innings and picked up the win. Olson and Bella Dally who came on in the fourth inning limited Drummond to four hits.

Lady Trojan Jesse Paske led Drummond with a 2-for-3 effort.

Mission 15, Plains 9

Mattea Grant is making a strong case for a spot on the Montana All-State softball team. The junior all-around player missed the lion's share of last season with a broken leg and prior to that season-ending injury she played with a broken finger on her throwing (right) hand. This season she has been healthy much to the delight of coach Woll and the Doggie faithful but much to the chagrin of the opposition.

Grant continued her red-hot ways from that batter's box Monday against Plains going 5-for-6. To top that off she picked up the win after coming in for relief of pitcher Kyla Olson with two outs in the third inning. The combo limited the Trotters to one hit but despite that on-target effort Plains pulled to within one (8-7) in the bottom of the third due to walks and errors. Grant put the brakes on the Trotters' big chunk scoring after that with nine strikeouts and four walks.

Meanwhile on the other side the L-Dogs offense continued to produce runs in abundance. They tagged three Plains pitchers for 18 hits that produced the 15 runs.

One of the hits was a home run by Katie McDonald who went 3-for-5 for the game. It was the only extra base hit among the plethora of singles.

Also contributing big chunks of offense were Kelci Apland who went 3-for-5 and Shianne Montgomery who was 2-for-4. And just about every one of the L-Dogs picked up a hit.

Trotter Bethany Catalanello picked up Plains' lone hit of the game.

The Lady Bulldogs (7-4, 9-5) played at Missoula Loyola Tuesday, May 6; play at the Thompson Falls Lady Bluehawks Thursday, May 8 at 4 p.m.; and host the Lady Trojans of Troy Friday, May 9 at 4 p.m.