Freshman in the clutch

With the bases loaded, two outs on the scoreboard and the game at rival Columbia Falls on May 6 tied at 2-2 in extra innings, an unlikely hero stepped to the plate with the confidence of a four-year veteran.

As if she'd been there a hundred times before, Whitefish's freshman right-fielder, Baylee Tveidt, crushed the first pitch she saw down the third-base line to push the go-ahead run across the plate. She followed the clutch hit with a Willie Mays-like over-the-shoulder snag in right field in the bottom of the eighth inning to help seal the 4-2 win.

"How much more pressure is there than bases loaded with two outs?" Lady Bulldog coach Alan Compton said about Tveidt's clutch play with the game on the line. "Then there was that deep ball, and she runs that thing down and makes the catch."

It was a performance typically reserved for players with more than one season of game-time experience — and Tveidt wasn't the only freshman who rose to the occasion.

Ninth-graders Hanah Lewis and Emily Stivers made big plays in the field, too, helping keep the 'Kats' offense in check down the stretch.

"The freshmen really stepped up when we needed them," Compton said. "It's really cool to see the whole team come together. Columbia Falls played well, but the bottom line is that we had a total team effort."

The conference win represents a clean sweep of the Wildkats, and more importantly, it puts Whitefish one win out of the state playoffs. Barring an epic collapse, the Lady Bulldogs will be fighting for a state title in Billings later this month.

"We are in the driver's seat now," Compton said. "It's up to the girls right now."

At Columbia Falls, the Lady 'Dogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning when catcher Hailey Mortensen smashed a solo-homer 50 feet past the center-field fence. It was the first dinger of the season for the senior, who has become somewhat of a juggernaut at the plate. She was 3-3 for the evening with two RBIs and tallied an intentional walk after the home run.

"I've had the great fortune of coaching Hailey since she was 14 years old," Compton said. "She's always had a good bat, but this year she's finally understanding how to stay relaxed at the plate."

That calmness has made her into one of the most feared hitters in the league, Compton said. She knocked in six RBIs in her last two games.

The Wildkats scored in the third to make it a one-run game, but Whitefish fended off threats in the fourth and fifth innings to keep the lead.

"We're getting out of those innings without letting the team score," Compton said. "It shows how mentally strong we are right now."

In the bottom of the fifth, the 'Dogs worked out of a jam when Tveidt grabbed a deep fly to right and Shannon Holmes tagged a runner at first.

In the sixth, Columbia Falls loaded the bases and tied the game when pitcher Kaitlyn Wehrli hit a batter to force a runner home. Wehrli struck out the next hitter to end the jam and set up a winner-take-all scenario in the final frame.

After a scoreless seventh, Mortensen knocked a lead-off single to start the eighth, and Lewis scored a walk to put two on base for the 'Dogs.

Two force-outs at third base and a walk by Emma Baldonado set up the game-winning scenario for Tveidt. Her single to left pushed Fennelly across the plate. Wehrli added some breathing room when she knocked an RBI single to score Holmes for a 4-2 lead.

"Mentally, we're finishing games," Compton said. "That was the perfect example of playing a whole game. We're doing what needs to be done to be a championship team."

The Lady 'Dogs next conference game is against Ronan at the Butte Invitational this Saturday. A win over the Maidens would put Whitefish in the top three in the league and guarantee a place in the state tourney.

Whitefish 101 000 02 — 4 8 0

Columbia Falls 001 001 00 — 2 9 1

Kaitlyn Wehrli and Hailey Mortensen. Morgan Rowe and Katherine Jetty.

Whitefish — Kaitlyn Wehrli 2-3, Madisen Cross 1-5, Madison Tveidt 0-4, Hailey Mortensen 3-3, Hanah Lewis 0-3, Sara Fennelly 0-4, Shannon Holmes 0-4, Emma Baldonado 1-3, Baylee Tveidt 1-4.

HR — Mortensen. RBIs: Mortensen 2, B. Tveidt 1.

Columbia Falls — Jessica Owens 1-5, Ranae Nelson 1-3, Shaun Rowe 2-2, Michonne Cronquist 0-2, Morgan Rowe 0-3, Katherine Jetty 1-2, Jordan LeFevbre 0-2, Jaylynn Cantu 1-3, Cassidee Skiles 3-4, Madison Sandefer 0-2.

RBIs: M. Rowe 1.