Both the Blair Bears and Fort Calhoun Pioneers are state bound.
Coach Jennifer Fangmeier’s BHS softball team swept two games against Grand Island Central Catholic to win its Class B District 2 Finals series Friday, while coach Mandy Taylor’s FCHS squad swept Albion Boone Central to qualify out of the Class C District 4 District Final.
Both Washington County teams will next compete Wednesday during the first round of their respective NSAA State Softball Championship tournaments in Hastings. Class B games start at 9 a.m. at the Bill Smith Softball Complex before Class C games at 11:30 a.m.
Pioneers blast 8 homers: Tacey Belina hit four homers, Allison Prunty had three and Anna Taylor notched one as Fort Calhoun (25-5 overall) bested Boone Central 13-5 and 18-8, respectively. Belina finished the day with 10 RBIs, while Kaylee Taylor had six and Prunty finished with five. Belina and Anna Taylor earned pitching wins, too. The victories secured the Pioneers’ first-ever state tournament qualification.
Bears outscore Crusaders 19-0: Blair (29-7) topped GICC 10-0 in game No. 1 before earning a 9-0 victory during the second. Senior Brooke Janning struck out 11 batters during the first four-inning game before keeping the Bears’ scoreless postseason streak going during the five-inning second matchup. She hit a homer during game No. 2, too, after Laynie Brown, Emma Hall and Jacy Schueth all cleared the fence during the opener. Brown’s homer was the first of her high school career.
For the full story and additional photos, check out Friday’s editions of the Washington County Enterprise and the Arlington Citizen. Full coverage will also appear online here at enterprisepub.com/sports that same day.
