Scottie Softball Battle Against Top Teams

After being confirmed early last week that the Glasgow Scotties softball team will travel to play the Quad at Colstrip, as it has been all season, the universe had other plans for the team. On Friday, it was announced the team would travel to Huntley Project to play games on Saturday only, against Stillwater (Columbus) and Huntley Project. Though the team lost both games, interim Head Coach Rob Martin was proud of how the girls performed during both games.

"We will be hitting the field tonight to practice and have to go out to Fort Peck to be able to do so. This will be the first time this season the girls have practiced on the actual field," explained Martin on April 24. "The girls have been working as hard as they can inside during the practices but we are looking forward to working on the defensive."

Though it was known the games were going to be tough going into the competition this past weekend, but as Martin stated, the girls were not intimidated and really battled. "Stillwater and Huntley are the top teams in our division. Huntley has the best pitcher in the state. At the bottom of the fifth inning against Huntley, we were only down one run. With both games, into the fifth innings, the flood gates opened, and the errors compounded."

During the Stillwater (Columbus) game, which was the first game of competition, the Scotties kept up with Stillwater at the end of the first, as the game was tied 3-3 and neither team scored in the second inning. In the top of the third, Stillwater scored four runs and kept the momentum throughout the game, winning 15-5.

Stevie Hartwell was two for four with a home run, double and four RBIs, while Ashlee Meland was three for three with two runs scored and a stolen base. Alexis Murdock was one for three with a run scored, and Daley Aune was one for four with a rune scored and a stolen base. Aune took the mound, throwing five innings achieving four strikeouts while giving up seven earned runs. Meland was the reliever, throwing for two innings, achieving three strikeouts while giving up three earned runs.

The girls went into the next game against Huntley determined and ready for the competition. Huntley gained an early lead at the end of the first inning, after scoring two runs, and no runs were scored until the fourth inning when Huntley scored again. At the top of the fifth inning, Glasgow answered back with two runs of their own, only being behind one run when the bottom of the fifth inning started. However Huntley gained the win when they scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth and another two runs in the bottom of the sixth. After six innings, the final score was 13 to 2, with Huntley taking the win.

Murdock was two for two with a double and RBI, while Meland also recorded an RBI with her one for three at bats. Macy Martin was one of three with a run scored while Tessa Miller aws one of two. Halle Hunter also scored a run and had a stolen base. Once again, Aune started off on the mound, pitching 4 1/3 innings, with five strikeouts and giving up four earned runs. Meland pitched one inning with two strikeouts, giving up seven earned runs.

"I like where the team is at with their effort. They practice hard and they know what's expected of them. They are so easy to coach, like sponges just taking everything in," reflected Martin. He does admit that in softball a short memory is needed, to be able to push aside the things that don't go as expected and start each at bat as a new experience, but the girls see and recognize the challenge.

Up next for the Glasgow Scotties is the Mid-Season Eastern B/C Invitational in Conrad. The team will hit the field for the first time on Friday, April 28, starting at 1 p.m.

"We are looking forward to this big weekend. We are playing for seeding at the Divisional tournament. We open with Colstrip, which is a young program. Then we play Shepherd, which is the leader in our conference. We will have our hands full and the games will be challenging." stated Martin.

Though the team is sitting at a 0-2 record in conference play and a 2-7 overall record, Martin is very proud of this year's team. "Our top 11 to 12 players are solid and confident. Our focus is getting the girls better. The girls deserve to get more at bats and improve. As long as they give good effort and compete to their best, that's all we ask," stated Martin. Martin, along with assistant coach Brian Burleson, is proud of how the girls have responded to the losses so far this season and are excited to see how the rest of the season plays out.