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Glacier Wins Softball State Championship

Ali Williams and the Wolfpack win program's first state championship with win over Big Sky

By Dillon Tabish
Glacier Wolfpack ace Ali Williams fires a pitch Thursday during her team's 11-2 win over the Great Falls Bison in the first round of the State Class AA softball tournament. Williams struck out 13 batters in the game. Courtesy Kurt Wilson/Missoulian

Clutch hitting. Strong defense. An ace pitcher.

The Glacier Wolfpack softball team had the recipe for championship glory.

The Wolfpack defeated Missoula Big Sky 6-3 on Saturday to win the Class AA state softball tournament in Missoula.

Kayleena Ikeda hit a solo shot and Christine Connolly knocked a two-run homerun in the bottom of the sixth and Glacier broke a 3-all tie to win its first championship. Ali Williams pitched the complete game and finished with seven strikeouts.

Mackenzie Brester-Knight had a pair of hits, including a triple, and two RBI, Alivia Atlee added an RBI and Kayla Russell added a hit for Glacier (20-3). Right fielder Christina DuFour had a remarkable catch in the top of the seventh inning, robbing a homerun.

The championship victory marked the end of a banner season and remarkable run through the state tournament. Williams struck out 13 batters and Kayla Russell notched three RBI to lead Glacier past Great Falls 11-2 in the opening round. Against Billings West, the Wolfpack edged out a 10-7 win behind another strong Williams performance. The junior hit a pair of homers and Connolly and Russell each added a pair of RBI.

In the semifinal, Glacier took care of Big Sky 2-0 to advance to the championship game. Williams added another homer in that game while picking up another win in the circle. Big Sky battled back through the consolation bracket, defeating Billings West before falling in the title game.

Big Sky100 011 0 – 3 6 1
Glacier200 103 X – 6 6 1
Macey Newbary and Morgan Johnson. Ali Williams and Christine Connolly. WP – Williams. LP – Newbary.
MISSOULA BIG SKY – Newbary 4-4, Kiley Snow 1-4, Johnson 0-3, Julie Schafer 0-2, Kendall Mooney 0-3, Kendall Rauk 1-3, Natalie Schwab 0-3, Quincy Preston 0-3, Frankie Schwenk 0-3.
GLACIER – Williams 0-2, Kayla Russell 1-3, Erin McHugh 0-3, Kayleena Ikeda 2-3, Mackenzie Brester-Knight 2-3, Alivia Atlee 0-2, Connolly 1-3, Christina DuFour 0-3, Katie Wiley 0-2.
2B – Newbary. 3B – Brester-Knight. HR – Newbary, Ikeda, Connolly. RBI – Snow, Newbary, Rauk, Brester-Knight 2, Atlee, Ikeda, Connolly 2.

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