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It seems awful late in the game to be adding new impact players into the mix, but that is what has happened in Western B-C softball the past few weeks.

Turning from pretenders to contenders in an instant, the Loyola Sacred Heart Breakers put pitcher McKenna Bessette into the mix for the first time this season and she promptly went out and changed the complexion of the Western B-C league race.

The daughter of Loyola coach Brian Bessette, McKenna, a transfer from Missoula Big Sky, just became eligible to play and immediately made an impact. Coach Jared Koskela and his Lady Hawks felt the wrath of McKenna last Thursday in Missoula, falling 17-0 and 17-0 to the Bessette-led Breakers in a doubleheader.

The Lady Hawks managed only one base hit in those two games. The speed of Bessette’s pitches was hard for the Falls girls to catch up to.

“She is the real deal, she really throws hard,” coach Jared Koskela said, “and we can’t replicate that in practice. We have turned up the speed on our pitching machine this week and should be able to get around better on her next time we face Loyola.”

Koskela said that next time the Lady Hawks face Bessette and the Breakers could be as early as next week as the stars are currently lining up for a Western B-C play-in game between Thompson Falls and Loyola next Monday or Tuesday. The winner of that game would then advance on to the Western B-C divisional tourney in Anaconda May 17-18.

Although the Hawks could end facing someone else in the play-in game, Koskela says his girls would prefer another look at Bessette.

“They are taking this as a challenge and I respect that,” he said. “They think they can do better against her pitching and want the chance to prove it.”

Before that however, the Lady Hawks have one more regular season game left to play, hosting Sanders County rival Plains-Hot Springs for a game at 5 p.m. Friday in Thompson Falls.

Shayla Micklon, Nicole Ngo, Riley Wilson, Jenna Totzauer, Belle Cooper, Brooke Bowlin, Kelsey Frank, Faith Frields, Melaina Goodman, Izzy Helmer, Amy Risser, Jody Detlaff, Aidin Losure, Abbigayle Lane and Danni-Jo Van Huss are the roster members for the 2019 Lady Hawks. Julie Detlaff is the softball assistant coach.