Whitefish softball making strides in new season

The progress is evident, from inning to inning and game to game.

Whitefish softball has yet to put that first notch in the win column, but coach Travis Krause is confident it will come with continued hard work and a positive attitude.

“They’re striding forward and that’s what we ask of them, to keep progressing,” Krause said Saturday following the Lady Dogs’ 13-3 loss to a solid Stevensville club. “With the steps we are taking, by the second half of the season, we’ll be right there.”

Whitefish stayed with Stevensville for three innings before the Yellowjackets pulled away for a Class A nonconference victory at Smith Fields.

McKenzie Carl, Madison Davis and Lauren McDonald each tallied RBIs for Whitefish. Davis, Rebecca Cantina and Abby Reese had two hits each.

Krause liked what he saw in the early innings against Stevi.

“The little mistakes here and there are getting us,” he said. “But the good thing is that they’re happening later on in the game instead of right out of the gate.”

As much as it is about mastering the fundamentals, it’s also about attitude, he said. In the final frame of Saturday’s game, with Stevi holding a commanding lead, Krause could see his team losing their focus.

“Body language!” he shouted from the dugout, reminding his club that the game isn’t over until it’s over.

“It’s a mental thing,” Krause said about getting that final out of an inning or overcoming a poor at bat.

“Defensively, it’s not letting down mentally with two outs,” he said. “The third out is the hardest to get. We have to stay focused and want to get the third out.”

“And they’re learning that if you don’t have success on the first at bat, you’ve got to let that go because the next at bat is the most important at bat.”

Krause commended pitcher Jordan Sletten’s work from the circle Saturday.

“She pitched well again,” he said. “She’s learning that her job is to keep pounding the zone and the defense will help her out. She’s grown a lot already.”

He also noted McKenzie Carl’s work at third base.

“She’s normally in the outfield,” Krause said. “She stepped up and played out of position, no questions asked. Props to her for making some good defensive plays. She battled through it with a positive attitude.”

Whitefish played at Frenchtown on Tuesday. They next travel to Polson on April 26.

Stevensville 112 504 — 13 17 1

Whitefish 101 100 — 3 10 5

Haley Kampka and Dani Trangmoe; Jordan Sletten and Madison Davis. W — Kampka. L — Sletten.

STEVENSVILLE — Mikayla Newman 3-5, Makayla Davids 2-4, Kampka 2-4, Callie Lendman 3-3, Trangmoe 2-3, Sam Hambrick 2-4, Rylee McCoy 1-3, Abby Austin 2-3, Kaylee Berning 0-4.

WHITEFISH — Sletten 0-4, Rebecca Catina 2-3, Michaela McDowell 0-3, McKenzie Carl 1-2, Davis 2-3, Abby Reese 2-3, Abby Carson 2-3, Lauren McDonald 1-2, Bailey Smith 0-1, Lily Stedam 0-3.