HELENA — Mike Miller showed emotion as he discussed a special birthday gift from his team.
As a 30-year varsity head coach, Miller celebrated his 67th birthday with a colorful ‘Happy Birthday Mikey’ sign held high above his head, cheered on by his players after a 7-2 victory over Kalispell Glacier.
By defeating the defending state champions, Capital is now just one win away from their first appearance in the title game since 2009. The Bruins will face the Eastern AA Champion Billings West at 3 p.m. for the opportunity.
“This is a special moment for me,” Miller expressed. “It has been about fields being named, reaching 400 wins, my birthday…
“But you know what? It’s all about these girls. Today is their day.”
Kathryn Emmert, with nine strikeouts, secured her second complete game victory in as many days.
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Glacier’s Ella Farrell put an end to Emmert’s 13-inning scoreless streak with an RBI double in the fourth inning. Olivia Warriner added a run a batter later, the only offense Glacier managed in the undefeated semifinal after hitting five home runs on Friday.
“We were just the better team,” Miller stated. “Kathryn made the difference.”
Emmert, with 29 strikeouts and only three walks in 17 state tournament innings, has an ERA of 0.82 over three games.
“I wasn’t sure if Kathryn would be able to pitch today,” Miller admitted.
“Her performance was truly impressive.”
Senior Belle Glowacki extended Capital’s lead with a double in the fourth inning, contributing two of the Bruins’ four hits that day.
“I just knew I had to get a hit,” Glowacki said. “Bases loaded, I needed to deliver.”
Anna Cockhill homered in the sixth and scored twice, while Emmert’s sister, Madi, drove in a run and walked.
This article will be updated
Email Daniel Shepard at daniel.shepard@406mtsports.com and find him on Twitter/X @IR_DanielS.
