B-C Softball: Cowgirls unbeaten; Glasgow finishes 4th

KALISPELL – Tristin Achenbach is a seemingly unstoppable force.

The star junior pitcher for the Conrad-Choteau softball team tossed a pair of no-hitters on her way to three complete-game wins on the day here at the Kidsports Facility, striking out 41 batters to propel the defending Class B-C champion Cowgirls to the state title game.

Conrad faces the winner of the Florence-Huntley Project contest at noon, with an if-necessary game scheduled for 2 p.m. Either Florence or Huntley would need to beat the Cowgirls twice in order to win the title.

Glasgow battled back from a day-one loss to earn a pair of wins, downing Ronan 10-7 and Stillwater 3-2 before falling 16-6 to Huntley, finishing fourth in the tournament.

Conrad head coach Mick Morris said although it was a tiring day for the Cowgirls, who bested Plains 12-2 in five innings to start the day in a makeup game from Thursday before blanking Stillwater 4-0 and Florence 10-0 in the semis, the hard work paid off for his team.

“We’re obviously right where we want to be,” Morris said. “Starting at 8 in the morning and having three games was more than we expected but on the positive side of that, if you can get going offensively usually carries over. We got on a good little run this morning and were able to pull through.”

Achenbach said it’s a great feeling to be back in the state championship game.

“I don’t think it’s really set in that we’re going back,” Achenbach said. “Nothing about the state championship can feel bad, I don’t think. It was frustrating not being able to play (Thursday), but the way we played today, we’ll take it.”

Achenbach, considered by many as the top pitcher in the state regardless of classification, surrendered only four hits on the day, all in the shutout of Stillwater, while only one giving up one earned run.

“She’s the greatest,” Morris said of Achenbach. “There’s nobody in the state I’d want in that position. She’s a gamer, she has been for three years and that’s what you expect of her. She’s always better than you think she’s going to be, which I guess is a true testament to greatness.”

Achenbach also posted a solid day at the plate, opening up the scoring in the contest with Plains with a two-RBI double, and finishing 2 for 4 with three RBIs and a pair of doubles in the blanking of Florence in the semis.

Emily Harwood provided Achenbach with run support in the win over Stillwater, providing the only RBIs of the game with two in the 4-0 win, while Sheridan Johnson and Andrea Russell also provided solid days at the dish for Conrad.

Morris said although Saturday may not be as draining physically, the Cowgirls need to be mentally prepared for whatever lies ahead.

“Like I said, we’re in the position we want to be in and we won’t have to get up at 6 in the morning,” Morris chuckled. “But tomorrow is a new day and offense can show up and it can disappear. We need to be sharp because whoever we’re going to play is going to have a game underneath them and they’ll be warmed up and ready to go. So, we’ve got a long ways to go.”

The Scotties’ season is over at 19-7 and a fourth-place finish in the B-C.

Glasgow rallied back from a heartbreaking seventh-inning loss to Florence on Thursday with a pair of wins to start the day before falling apart late against Huntley, riding standout pitcher Tyra Johnson who pitched every inning on the day.

Johnson said she was sad to see the season end, but the experience with her team this season was very rewarding.

“I’m definitely confident in my team,” said Tyra, whose twin sister Tiana is also a major contributor. “I love them so much, it’s crazy. We’re always good at coming back, but (the game against Huntley) was tough.”

The Scottie bats were hot in the win over Ronan, with Tyra, Ziggy Chamberlain and Kiauna Barstad all connecting on home runs, with Tyra leading the way with five RBIs.

Khloe Krumwiede and Tasha Chamberlain lifted Glasgow in the tight win over Stillwater, knocking in a run apiece in the 3-2 victory.

The Scotties graduate but three seniors in Abbi Kolstad, Tasha Chamberlain and Jaycee Wixson.

Tyra said the outlook is positive for Glasgow, who will return seven of nine starters next season.

“I wish this year could’ve gone different,” she said. “But we’ll come back stronger than ever. Next year, it’s going to be on us.”