MISSOULA — A group of 11- and 12-year-old girls from Missoula is making history this week, becoming the first team from the city to reach the Little League Northwest Region tournament since the Softball World Series expanded in 2022.
The Garden City Little League All-Stars punched their ticket to San Bernardino, Calif., by beating Boulder Arrowhead from Billings for the regional berth.
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"It felt good because we had all worked very hard," said Simone Maguire, a 12-year-old who plays in the outfield. "We knew it was going to be tough playing them. Billings tends to win the championship and go to regionals, so (it) felt good to finally beat them."
The team did it the hard way. After losing the first game of the best-of-three series, Garden City had to rally.
"We found ourselves down by two runs going into the sixth inning of the loser-out game, and we scored four runs in the top of the sixth," coach Bill Stockton said. "So that gave us the lead, and we just carried that into the final game, where we got up early and never gave up the lead again."
When the final out was recorded, the celebration followed.
"It felt really good," said second baseman and outfielder Harper Davis, 11. "It was like a weight coming off of your shoulders."
The players said the moment carries both excitement and nerves heading into the regional stage.
"I'm excited for the opportunity," Davis said, "and I'm nervous because you don't want to lose."
"It makes me feel kind of nervous," Maguire added. "It's a big responsibility, but it's also really exciting."
For Stockton, the opportunity goes beyond the game itself.
"You think of it kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime thing," the coach said. "But just the fact that they get to represent our whole state, they get to represent Missoula, and they're going to do it on ESPN is pretty dang amazing, right? And so they're really excited to do that, and I think we have a great squad that's going to go down there and really compete."
The team is driving to Bozeman on Wednesday and then flying to San Bernardino on Thursday. Their first game is Saturday at 7 p.m. Mountain time against the Oregon state champion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. For more information on the regional tournament, click here.
Garden City Little League is a nonprofit organization. To support the girls' trip to California, click here.
