The Arlington High School softball team earned a second-place plaque Saturday at the RVR Bank Sports Complex.
Coach Janelle Lorsch's Eagles went 2-1 during their home tournament, securing a second-place finish to first-place Lincoln Northwest.
“Better than last year,” AHS senior Teagan Taylor said.
Britt Nielsen noted how the Eagles have had their struggles reaching the tournament finals in recent years, so Saturday was an improvement.
“Just making it here in itself was a blessing,” the senior shortstop said. “My teammates worked really hard today. We all really wanted it.”
AHS lost the finale to the aforementioned Falcons, 7-0. Northwest scored two runs during the third inning, two in the fourth and three more in the sixth to win it.
Before the championship game, though, Arlington earned a pair of victories. It first beat North Bend Central 10-2, scoring four first-inning runs with Nielsen recording a two-RBI triple. Lydia Schaapveld and Tessa Spivey plated a run each during the first frame, too.
During the Eagles' second game, though, it was Kallan Reed delivering the big hit. With her team down 2-1 to Highway 91 during the fourth inning, the junior stepped up to the plate with a chip on her shoulder.
“I popped up the two at-bats before that and, so, I was a little frustrated and tired,” Reed said. “And coach said that she could tell.”
With both Gwen Bostwick and Emme Timm on base, though, the slugger belted a two-out, full-count pitch over the outfield fence to give her team a 4-2 AHS lead. She said her previous frustration was the fuel needed to get the Eagles an advantage on the scoreboard via home run.
“I used it,” Reed said. “I was very angry and I used it to power that hit.”
Lilly Lang sacrificed during the fifth inning for Arlington's fifth run as the Eagles won by two. The victory earned their spot in the finals.
Reed claimed the pitching win against the Cyclones, too, finishing the game with six strikeouts before Spivey notched one of her own in relief.
Altogether, Nielsen was pleased her team played well at home.
“Normally, this is kind of where we hit our midseason slump,” the senior said. “So, coming out and playing good and playing hard together was a good experience.”
GACC survives Eagles' rally
Class C No. 3 West Point GACC had to hold off an Arlington upset bid late Thursday, too.
Trailing 3-0, the Eagles scored two seventh-inning runs, falling just short on the road — 3-2. They outhit the Bluejays, according to GameChanger stat-keeping.
After six scoreless innings, AHS got on the board after Bostwick, Timm, Reed, Lauren Pittman and Nielsen all reached base in the seventh. Timm and Pittman scored with Nielsen plating the latter by double. The game ended on a groundout shortly thereafter, though.
Nielsen led the Eagles in defeat with two hits.
AHS SOFTBALL LINE SCORE
Saturday
Lincoln Northwest 7, Arlington 0, 6 inn.
LNW 0 0 2 2 0 3 — 7
AHS (10-11) 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Arlington 5, Highway 91 3, 5 inn.
AHS (10-10) 0 0 1 3 1 — 5
HWY 91 2 0 0 0 1 — 3
Arlington 10, North Bend Central 2, 5 inn.
NBC 0 0 0 0 2 — 2
AHS (9-10) 4 0 3 0 3 — 10
Thursday
No. 3 West Point GACC 3, Arlington 2
AHS (8-10) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 — 2
WPGACC (18-2) 0 0 3 0 0 0 X — 3
