HELENA — Wind, rain, and snow couldn't deter the Helena Capital and Helena High softball team's from finishing their conference season with the Helena Capital Bruins coming out on top, 6-3.
The weather started out calm, but Capital's Kathryn Emmert did not, striking out 5 batters in her first three innings before a rain delay was called by the umpiring crew. Emmert finished the game throwing 20 first-pitch strikes to 26 batters, four hits and just one earned run.
Capital struck first in the first inning with a single up the middle, and then again after a handful of Bengals' errors in the third inning to make it 3-0 through three innings.
The Bengals scratched their first run of the game across on a double play to make it 3-1 through 4 innings, and the bats came alive for Helena High in the fifth.
Amber Countryman smoked a line drive that cleared the wall by about two feet to make it, 3-2, before Brooke Ark slapped a single to right that was overrun by a Bruins' outfielder and a throwing error let her make it all the way home to tie the game at 3-3.
Emmert was able to stop the bleeding and get to the bottom of the sixth where, with two runners aboard, Nyeala Hearndon crushed a no-doubt home run to give the Bruins a 6-3 lead that would hold through the end of the game.
With the win, the Bruins move to 10-4 in conference play to secure third place in the Western AA, Helena High finishes the conference season at 9-5 to stay in fourth place.
