Whitefish's Finn Ryan Delivers Clutch Hit + Coach Kyler Blades on Bulldogs’ Playoff Push

Whitefish Bulldogs baseball is heating up at exactly the right time. In this episode of Keeping Score, Daily Inter Lake sports reporter Luke Schmit talks with Whitefish slugger Finn Ryan right after his dramatic walk-off single lifted the Bulldogs to a huge 4-3 Northwest A victory over Eureka.

Ryan breaks down the pressure-packed final at-bat, the mindset behind delivering in clutch moments and why Whitefish believes it can make a serious postseason run. Head coach Kyler Blades also joins to discuss the team’s grit, Carter Godsey’s monster performance, Tait Orme’s leadership on the mound and why May baseball matters most for the Bulldogs.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 1:41

I'm here with Finn Ryan as he hit the walk-off game winning single for whitefish in their win over Eureka. Finn, talk to me. You're getting up to the plate, got the bases ready to be jacked, and you just do it.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

Um yeah, like I've done that before this season. I just feel like whenever I'm in that situation, I'm just like, look for fastball and hit it. That's really it.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

And talk to me, you know how fun this game was. You guys were playing a very competitive team. Eureka gave you guys quality fight. Talk to me why you guys were able to stay in there and and Britain get the job done at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

Um, like the way I saw it, like we were down, but we weren't down by that much. It's like a not even an inning's worth of runs that we could get back. And like we showed, we came back and won it in the seventh inning.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

What excites you about this team going forward? You guys are getting some quality wins under your belts. You get a win after taking a loss to the flathead. What do you like for your team in May?

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Um well, like our coach said, he said that May matters, and we've won every single conference game in May, and they were all really important conference games, and I feel like we're just gonna bring it to Poulson and we're gonna get that one seed.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

And that's the last thing I was gonna ask you, the one seeds in mind. You know, what do you do to stay calm in the moments where, you know, this is a huge game for you guys at the end of the year? You know, how do you stay how do you deliver a game winner in those kind of moments for some of those that don't understand?

SPEAKER_02 2:54

Um, just know that it's not that big of a deal at the end of the day. And if it if you get out, you get out, but I didn't get out.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

So calm and simple, love the attitude. Congrats on the win. Thank you. Yeah, best of luck rest of the season. Take care. I'm here with Kyler Blades, head coach of Whitefish after their win over Eureka. Coach, talk to me about the resilience of the team today. You guys go down three to one, team stays right in it. Tell me how you're feeling.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Yeah, it was a really gutsy performance by us. Cartagazzi coming up big with some some two out hitting, a hit in that last inning, facing one of the best pitchers in the state in Rowan Burrow. Um that's a quality class club in Eureka, and and we just gritted it out today.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

That was my next question for you, coach. You know, talk to me about the team you just played. They're a great team. He gave you a terrific performance on the mound, diving all over. You know, what did your team have to work through to get through a pitcher like that?

SPEAKER_00 3:52

Yeah, he's he's been giving us problems since he was a freshman. Um, happy to say he's a senior now. But um, yeah, his his his slider is one of the best pitches, I think the best pitch in the entire state. Um, and so we were lucky to scratch a couple across, um, you know, be gritty and grind the whole way.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Talk about Carter's performance in a sec. Let's talk about you know, you're your starting pitcher. I thought he played well, and then at the end you just had to get him out a couple pitches late.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

Yeah, Tate, uh yeah, Tate Orm, he's been a captain, first uh, first ever two-time captain for the Whitefish Bulldogs, and I'm just super proud of him. He's been steady Eddie um all year, all his career. And so it's been really cool to see him uh perform so well last week against Columbia Falls, and then again tonight against Eureka.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Coach, we're getting kind of the end here of the season. Talk to me how important this win is trying to get the last of the standings, getting the top of the board there.

SPEAKER_00 4:37

Yeah, we've talked a lot about how May is the month that matters. It doesn't matter what we've done in the past, May is the month that matters, and we're gonna peak at the right time.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

And coach, what's one thing you could take from this game you still want to improve on when you guys get to those uh last meaningful innings here at the end of the year?

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Yeah, grinding out a one run game was um really important for us to show that we can and um never give up and be resilient throughout the entire game.