Lady Loggers over Wildkats, 8-6

In their final home game of the season, the Libby High School softball team faced a worthy adversary and three nail-biting final innings as they thwarted a Columbia Falls comeback, 8-6.

The Wildkats led in the first with a single run, but quickly fell behind the Lady Loggers in the bottom of the second inning, after being held to no runs in the top.

Sophomore Sheyla Gallagher started it out for Libby in the second by scoring a run on a wild pitch. Junior Linsey Walker followed with a double, sending junior Samantha Miller home.

Wildkats pitcher Savvy Ellis handed Libby two more runs by with back-to-back walks, and sophomore Ashlyn Monigold scored on a ground out from senior Haylee Cannon.

The Lady Loggers got one more run out of the inning when Gallagher singled on a grounder to Ellis, allowing junior Emily Carvey to cross home plate.

In the third inning, Columbia Falls and Libby matched each other on runs, with Carvey hitting a double on a line drive to left field, sending Walker and Monigold home.

It was in the fourth that the Wildkats first attempted to mount a comeback, closing within two runs of the Lady Loggers after Columbia Falls’ Ryley Kehr sent in two runners on a line drive to left field.

After that, though, scoring ground to a halt. Back-to-back ground outs where capped with a strikeout by Libby senior pitcher Khalyn Hageness.

For the rest of the game, both defenses held each other at bay, and no runner made it past second base.

In the final out of the game, Libby senior center fielder Haylee Cannon ended the last Wildkat hope of a comeback by catching a line drive hit by Kaylee Ashe.

The Lady Loggers already had secured second place in the conference before the game started against third-ranked Columbia Falls.

Head Coach Dean Thompson said he didn’t know if any of his players were aware the game wouldn’t affect their seed in the State Championship. However, he didn’t tell them before the game.

Columbia Falls put up a strong fight against Libby, and Thompson noted the tight-packed schedule they faced this week. Still, the Lady Loggers earned their win.

“The girls played well tonight. We came in and hit the ball, we hit the ball well,” he said. “Had a couple of bumps here and there, but we just came back and hit the ball where we needed to.”

The team is down a player going into the State Championship, after junior Jayden Winslow took a ball to the head during the Butte Tournament over a week ago. Thompson said he didn’t know if Winslow would be back to playing in time for the state tournament, though he acknowledged she is eager to compete.

“I want her healthy first. I won’t put a girl on that I don’t feel is ready yet,” he said.

In the meantime, Carvey is doing well picking up Winslow’s position at shortstop, Thompson said.

Against Columbia Falls, Carvey had no fielding errors. She made an out at second from a fielder’s choice grounder and threw a ground ball to first for the final out of the first inning.

Thompson said that he feels the team he will have for state is ready.

“We come together as a team and we hit, we’ll be alright,” he said.

The final Libby home game was also the last time the Lady Logger seniors will play for their team on Remp Field. Before the game, Hageness, Cannon and senior manager Kenna Slinkard were honored, though Slinkard was absent due to a family event.

After the game, Hageness and Cannon took a final walk to the outfield, hand in hand, embracing near the fence.

When they turned, both were wiping tears from their eyes.

But the players aren’t the only ones who get a little choked up about such a milestone.

“I’ve known this group of seniors since they were little,” Thompson said, “I was their PE teacher since they were in kindergarten.”

Thompson said saying goodbye to his seniors at the end of the season is never easy.

“It’s a tough thing,” he said. “But, like I said, our season’s not done.”

Over the next week, Thompson said his focus will be on making certain the team is mentally prepared to give the performance they are capable of at state.

Libby will play the third-ranked eastern team from Hardin in their first game of the State Championship Thursday at 1 p.m. The winner will go on to play the first place southwest team, Hamilton/Darby, at 5 p.m., and the loser with enter consolation play at 9 a.m. Friday.

Friday, May 18

Libby 8, Columbia Falls 6

C 102 300 0 - R:6 H:11 E:0

L 062 000 X - R:8 H:11 E:3

AB-H

L: Linsey Walker 4-3, 2R; Khalyn Hageness 2-1, 2BB; Emily Carvey 3-2, 1R, 1BB, 1K; Sammee Bradeen 3-1, 1BB; Haylee Cannon 4-0, 1K; Sheyla Gallagher 4-3, 1R; Makenzie Proffitt 3-1, 1R, 1BB, 2K; Bridgett Haskins 2-0, 2BB; Samantha Miller 3-0, 1R, 1BB, 1K; Ashlyn Monigold 2R (in for Hageness)

C: Kaylee Ashe 5-3, 2R; Raychel Hoerner 2-1, 1R, 2BB, 1R; Trista Cowan 3-1, 1R, 1BB; Ryley Kehr 4-1; Graceanne Sevesind 4-1, 1R, 2K; Kennedy Payne 4-1, 1R; Jayden Hamilton 4-3, 1K; Tori Briscoe 3-0, 1K; Savvy Ellis 4-0

Batting: 2B - Carvey, Walker, Ashe, Hamilton; 3B - Cowan; TB - Bradeen, Carvey 3, Gallagher 3, Hageness, Proffitt, Walker 4; Payne, Hoerner, Ashe 4, Hamilton 4, Sevesind, Kehr, Cowan 3; ROE - Kehr; RBI - Bradeen, Cannon, Carvey 3, Gallagher, Hamilton, Kehr, Cowan

Pitching: W- Hageness 7, 128 P, .617 S%, 11 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 5 SO, 3 BB; L - Ellis 3, 88 P, .523 S%, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 SO, 4 BB; Cowan 3, 53 P, .509 S%, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 SO, 4 BB