Arlington softball junior Britt Nielsen nearly turned her first fall at-bat into a home run.
The smashed softball bounced off the top of the outfield fence at RVR Bank Sports Complex and back into the field of play Friday against Bayard.
Coach Janelle Lorsch's slugger made up for it, though, blasting three more Tiger pitches over the fence during a doubleheader sweep to start the season. The Eagles beat their visitors 10-0 and 11-1 Friday before a 2-1, third-place showing at Wayne's opening-weekend tournament on Saturday.
Overall against Bayard, Nielsen was 6-for-6 with 11 RBIs. The AHS standout had two homers during the opening game and one more in the second.
First, though, Nielsen doubled off the top of the fence to score Savannah Lang. Ahead 1-0 in the first game of the season, winning pitcher Rylee Fuehrer — who finished with eight strikeouts — added her own RBI by sacrifice before Libby Stork scored on a double-steal.
Arlington's Emme Timm crossed home plate during the second inning on an error before Nielsen's two-run shot pushed the Eagles' lead to 6-0. Lilly Lang, Dianna Flores and Kallan Reed also reached base during the fast start, while Tessa Spivey bunted a teammate from first to second base during the second inning.
AHS later added four fourth-inning runs to beat Bayard by run-rule in the opener. Then, during the second game, coach Lorsch's Eagles scored a single run in the first inning and 10 more in the second to again produce a four-inning, run-rule victory.
Spivey struck out eight batters from the pitching circle, while Lydia Schaapveld, Savannah Lang, Reed, Jaydin Allen, Flores, Fuehrer and Timm tallied hits.
Eagles finish 3rd at Wayne tourney
Arlington followed up its 2-0 start with a third-place finish in Wayne.
The Eagles beat Pierce 6-0 first, lost to Twin River 11-0 and topped Centura-Central Valley 8-4 in their final matchup of the day. Centura scored four runs during the last inning, but AHS' lead held after it score four runs in the second frame, three during the fourth and one in the fifth.
Twin River, meanwhile, closed out Arlington's second game of the tournament with a four-run sixth inning. The Titans went on to finish second overall to the host Devils.
Nielsen, meanwhile, knocked in her fourth homer in two days against Pierce. Coach Lorsch said it was her first at-bat of the day.
Fuehrer, meanwhile, earned the six-inning shutout from the pitching circle.
The Eagles next play 6:30 p.m. today against Logan View back at the RVR Bank Sports Complex.
AHS SOFTBALL LINE SCORES
Saturday
Arlington 8, Centura-Central Valley 4, 5 inn.
AHS (4-1) 0 4 0 3 1 — 8
CVV 0 0 0 0 4 — 4
Twin River 11, Arlington 0, 6 inn.
TR 1 0 2 2 2 4 — 11
AHS (3-1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Arlington 6, Pierce 0, 6 inn.
AHS (3-0) 2 4 0 0 0 0 — 6
PHS 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Friday
Arlington 11, Bayard 1, 4 inn.
BHS (0-2) 0 1 0 0 — 1
AHS (2-0) 1 10 0 X — 11
Arlington 10, Bayard 0, 4 inn.
BHS (0-1) 0 0 0 0 — 0
AHS (1-0) 3 3 0 4 — 10
