For the first time, the Fort Calhoun softball program has claim to a Nebraska Capitol Conference (NCC) Tournament championship.
The Class C No. 9 Pioneers (16-5 overall) accomplished the feat Saturday in Syracuse, besting No. 7 Douglas County West 11-9 in the tourney finals.
“I love every single one of these girls like my own,” FCHS coach Mandy Taylor said, stating how “very, very proud” she was of the team effort to win three games in one road trip.
“It's been an all-day thing,” she explained, noting how the Pioneers had to scrap throughout the tourney. The finals against the Falcons were a perfect example.
Calhoun trailed DC West 7-0, but pulled even with a seven-run third inning sparked by a Tacey Belina slam. The sophomore had two hits and four RBIs in the game, while both Isabel Wray and Anna Taylor notched two RBIs apiece.
Izzy Nolan and Izzy Greenough both notched two hits, too, as the FCHS lineup won a game no other Pioneers lineup has won before. Anna Taylor, Belina and Wray split pitching duties, combining for four strikeouts and a conference title.
To reach the championship game against the Falcons, Coach Taylor's squad beat Raymond Central 7-4 and No. 8 Yutan/Mead 5-3. Fort Calhoun opened the tournament behind the Mustangs, 3-0, but battle back as Belina struck out 13 batters. She had three RBIs, too, while Nolan had one.
Kaylee Taylor later homered against the Patriots, finishing the semifinals game with a team-best two hits alongside Greenough. Dehlia Hallberg, like Greenough, knocked in an RBI.
The NCC champs host Central City and Highway 91 today for a 3:30 p.m. triangular.
AHS takes 4th
While their Washington County neighbors earned first, the Arlington Eagles secured fourth Saturday during the NCC Tournament in Syracuse. AHS beat Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 7-5 during the opening round, but lost its next two games to top-10 teams DC West and Yutan/Mead 10-0 and 8-5, respectively.
The Eagles started fast against the Raiders with Lauren Pittman and Lydia Schaapveld turning at-bats into runs during the first inning. Lilly Lang added a third-inning RBI as coach Janelle Lorsch's team got off to a 1-0 start.
The game against the Falcons didn't go as well. DC West scored seven fourth-inning runs against Arlington and won by run-rule.
The loss sent the Eagles into the third-place game against the Patriots, who scored seven more runs in a row against AHS. Britt Nielsen, however, started an Eagle comeback effort with a three-run homer, though her team did fall short in the end.
Arlington next hosts Wahoo at 6:30 p.m. today on its RVR Bank Sports Complex home field.
Pioneers best Eagles
Before the conference tourney, FCHS and AHS met in a regular season game Thursday in Fort Calhoun. The Pioneers won it, 9-2, flipping a 2-0 fifth-inning deficit into a seven-run victory with both Addie Benoit and Allison Prunty hitting homers.
Prunty, a senior, finished with a team-best four RBIs as her long ball was of the grand slam variety. Benoit had one RBI as did Belina, Nolan, Kaylee Taylor and Hallberg.
Belina earned Calhoun's pitching victory, too, finishing with 11 strikeouts and just five hits allowed.
Arlington, meanwhile, scored its runs during the first and third innings. Savannah Lang plated Pittman first with a single into centerfield.
Then, during the third frame, Lang hit a double to score Nielsen.
Eagles pitcher Tessa Spivey held the Pioneers scoreless through four innings, too, before the home team responded with nine runs during the fifth and sixth frames.
HS SOFTBALL LINE SCORES
Saturday
No. 9 Fort Calhoun 11, No. 7 Douglas County West 9, 5 inn.
FCHS (16-5) 0 0 7 4 0 — 11 9 7
DCW 4 3 1 1 0 — 9 14 5
No. 8 Yutan/Mead 8, Arlington 5
AHS (12-14) 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 — 5
YM 1 0 1 4 1 1 X — 8
No. 9 Fort Calhoun 5, No. 8 Yutan/Mead 3
YM 0 3 0 0 0 0 — 3 5 3
FCHS (15-5) 3 0 1 1 0 X — 5 5 0
No. 7 Douglas County West 10, Arlington 0, 4 inn.
AHS (12-13) 0 0 0 0 — 0
DCW 2 1 0 7 — 10
No. 9 Fort Calhoun 7, Raymond Central 4, 6 inn.
RC 3 0 0 1 0 0 — 4
FCHS (14-5) 0 0 4 2 1 X — 7
Arlington 7, Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 5
LVSS 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 — 5
AHS (12-12) 2 0 1 0 1 3 X — 7
Thursday
No. 9 Fort Calhoun 9, Arlington 2
AHS (11-12) 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 — 2 5 1
FCHS (13-5) 0 0 0 0 5 4 X — 9 11 1
