When Brooke Janning was a freshman, the lone 12th-grader she celebrated on the Blair High School softball team's Senior Night was her sister, Jerzie.
Four years later, the Class B No. 2 Bears' ace pitcher celebrated her own Senior Night solo Tuesday with 14 strikeouts against Ralston at the Youth Sports Complex. Coach Jennifer Fangmeier's team won, 8-1, on a night where youth players were invited out to enjoy the festivities — and another Janning pitching gem.
“Gritty,” the coach said. “Gritty is a good word to describe Brooke.”
The all-state pitcher struck out the first three Rams she faced before Jacy Schueth plated Mia McClain with a sacrifice fly during the bottom half of the first inning. From there, BHS built its lead to 3-0 through three innings, 6-0 through four and 7-0 through five before its opposition finally scored during the top of the sixth frame.
Both Schueth and Taytum Macholan hit homers against Ralston, while Laynie Brown and Janning added their own RBIs.
“Brooke has done just a tremendous job leading this team. She picks them up,” Fangmeier said. “She leads alongside them, not necessarily over them, which makes her just the perfect fit for our season this year.”
The coach complimented her senior as a driven athlete, one who never backs away from the challenges of the softball season.
“Even if we tell her she needs to take a rest, we know she's really not,” Fangmeier said. “Brooke is one of the hardest workers we've had come through the program.”
The pitcher was recognized before the game and gifted a basket of goodies to celebrate her Senior Night. Players and coaches showed their affection in another unique way, too — they wore temporary tattoos of her face on their skin.
“We love her,” Fangmeier said through a smile. “She's funny.”
Bears beat No. 8 Skutt
Janning notched 14 strikeouts Monday, too, as the Bears bested Class B No. 8 Omaha Skutt at home, 9-2. The senior, who surpassed 100 strikeouts for the season against the Skyhawks, also produced an RBI triple during BHS' three-run fourth inning.
McClain and Schueth knocked in runs during the frame, too, but they didn't hit the ball as far as the Bears' Emmi Hall did in the third. The sophomore blasted a grand slam during the inning, giving her team its initial 4-1 lead.
Ahead 7-2 three innings later, Schueth added a sixth-frame homer as Blair earned its 13th win of the fall season — one day before it earned its 14th.
BHS SOFTBALL LINE SCORES
Tuesday
No. 2 Blair 8, Ralston 1
RHS (7-4) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1
BHS (14-4) 1 0 2 3 1 1 X — 8
Monday
No. 2 Blair 9, No. 8 Omaha Skutt 2
SKUTT (5-4) 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 — 2
BHS (13-4) 0 0 4 3 0 2 X — 9
