HELENA — It took an extra inning, but Helena Capital got it done against the Helena High Bengals in eight innings, by a score of 9-7 in a Tuesday Western AA softball game.
The Bruins jumped out to a 3-0 lead through two innings, capitalizing on two errors by the Bengals, and senior pitcher Nicole Ames racked up four of her six outs via strikeout.
“I was down to business, I didn’t want to lose to these guys and I knew they had great hitters, so I had to be really smart and planning ahead and I was just really confident,” Ames said.
However, the Bengals did all they could to make Ames’ confidence waver, bringing six runs across in the third and fourth innings. After she stopped the bleeding, Ames buckled down in the latter half, only giving up a walk in the fifth inning and a single in the sixth. Her efforts in the circle matched that in the batter’s box, as it was Ames who had a single in the eighth inning that would bring in the eventual winning run.
“It feels so great, I‘m so glad,” Ames said. “There was the talk, that they’re No. 1 and we’re not doing so hot, but we’re on the rise.”
Head coach Mike Miller echoed his senior’s sentiment’s saying, “It was a big game for us.”
Miller joked with reporters postgame that he prefers games to be a gradual incline of intensity, using his hand to demonstrate, but noted this game was an exception.
“It was a wild game, a lot of roller coasters, a lot of ups and downs,” Miller said. “We battled for the whole game, which is something that we’ve been trying to achieve. It’s a big win for us.”
Jenna Priddy and Riley Ames posted multi-hit games Tuesday to help the Bruins to victory.
Lyndie Ark led the way for the Bengals, going 2-for-4 on the day with a double, a stolen base, and two runs.
Both teams are now 4-4 overall, 2-1 Western AA.
Now, both Helena schools will head to Kalispell for a Saturday doubleheader against the Glacier Wolfpack and the Flathead Braves.
