The Tekamah-Herman softball team scored its first run during the last inning Tuesday night against Fort Calhoun.
The Class C No. 9 Pioneers, however, produced the game-clinching double play during the same series of events. The 9-1 ballgame concluded when the ball traveled from right field to first base and then home plate where catcher Sydney Klein applied the tag for out No. 3. The Tigers' second run, as it turned out, wasn't meat to be.
Winning pitcher Anna Taylor approved of the ending.
“Very exciting,” she said.
FCHS improved to 3-1 with the run-rule win. It was its first official victory against Tekamah, but its second if the Aug. 20 exhibition victory were to count.
“We were pretty confident coming in,” Taylor said. “Obviously, we tell ourselves to not come in overconfident. We have to play our game, no matter what … and that's what we did.”
The Pioneers led from the first inning on after Addie Benoit plated her team's first run with a double. The lead grew to five runs through two innings after Kaylee Taylor hit into a run-scoring error and Tacey Belina hit a slow-rolling, two-RBI single up the middle of the infield that never reached the grass.
“I thought it was a dinker,” Belina said of her RBI swing. “When you hit a hit like that, you don't really think you're going to be safe or get two RBIs, for that matter.”
The Tigers just couldn't track the ball down in time.
“It was really nice, though, because anything you can do to help the team get further in the game is a good thing,” the sophomore said. “It's good.”
After a scoreless third inning, Fort Calhoun added two runs apiece during the fourth and fifth frames. Kaylee Taylor notched an RBI single and scored on an error during the fourth before Allison Prunty and Dehlia Hallberg plated Madi Larrick and Sammie Ladwig in the fifth.
It was a team effort at the plate.
“That's pretty much what we do every game,” Belina said. “Every girl can hit the ball, and I think everyone knows that.”
The game then ended during the bottom half by run-rule. As noted, Klein made the game ending-tag at home plate on a clutch throw from Benoit. Anna Taylor said the freshman catcher is adjusting well to high school softball.
“As we've played games over the weekend and, now, today, she's definitely come out of her freshman shell and playing the game pretty hard,” Taylor said. “I'm proud of her.”
FCHS was scheduled to play Thursday at Syracuse and next competes 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at home against Raymond Central.
FCHS SOFTBALL LINE SCORE
Tuesday
Fort Calhoun 9, Tekamah-Herman 1, 5 inn.
FCHS (3-1) 1 4 0 2 2 — 9 8 1
TK (0-2) 0 0 0 0 1 — 1 5 5
