The top-ranked Blair High School softball team responded to back-to-back Saturday losses with a Tuesday evening rout of the 9-4 Ralston Rams.
While the home squad hosted opening ceremonies for its new ballfield — with former championship-winning coach and current BHS teacher Kelli Ray among those in attendance — the Class B Bears built a big lead and won, 15-1, in four innings. The victory pushed their season record to 13-3 overall.
Blair's Claire Mann and Brooke Janning contributed to the 14-run victory with solo homers, while Joslyn Policky, Claire Anderson, Nessa McMillen, Kalli Ulven and Bria Scott logged doubles. Ulven earned the pitching win, too, striking out seven of then 10 Ralston batters she faced.
The Bears were scheduled to play at Omaha Duchesne on Thursday and next compete Saturday during the Eastern Midlands Conference Tournament in Hastings. Tourney play starts tentatively at 9 a.m.
Bears go 2-2 at tourney
On Sept. 1, the Bears opened a 2-2, two-day run at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Kaiti Williams Classic in Papillion with a win against Class A No. 7 Elkhorn South.
“It was good,” coach Jennifer Fangmeier said after the 8-3 victory. “We knew Elkhorn South was going to challenge us.”
The Bears scored three first-inning runs and added five more during the fourth.
“To put up eight runs on a solid team? We were really happy that one,” the coach added.
Janning and Leah Chance reached base first ahead of McMillen, who knocked in Janning for the game's first run. From there, Ulven — the winning pitcher — notched a sacrifice fly and Sophia Wrich hit an RBI single.
Still leading 3-1 through three innings, the Bears turned Storm miscues into runs during the fourth frame. Audie Keeling stepped onto base for Policky, who doubled, and scored when Anderson bunted into a South error.
Janning hit the ball next, which allowed Anderson to score on another error by the opposition. Blair went ahead 5-1 with the run.
“Any base runner you can get in a tournament like this is going to be important, and if you can get an extra base — take it,” Fangmeier said. “We have smart, fast base runners.”
Chance hit the ball hard next, scoring Janning even though it never left the infield. McMillen and Ulven doubled from there, pushing the Bears' advantage to 8-1.
The Storm scored twice during the bottom half of the fourth inning, but, ultimately, failed in its comeback attempt when Chance, McMillen and Mann combined for a game-ending double play during the fifth frame.
Next, the Bears faced and defeated Lincoln Southeast, 9-1. Scott highlighted a four-run first inning with a two-RBI double before BHS added three runs in the third frame and two more in the fourth.
Janning, meanwhile, earned the win in the pitching circle.
The next day, Saturday, coach Fangmeier's team started bracket play against Class A No. 1 Gretna. In the battle of the top-ranked teams, the Bears led early, but the Dragons won — 6-1.
Chance gave her team the lead with a bottom of the first inning home run. Ulven and her defense held it through the third inning before Gretna evened the score in the fourth.
Then, in the fifth frame, the Dragons broke through, scoring five runs to take a commanding lead against their competition from Class B.
No. 5 Millard North had to come back to beat BHS, too. Ulven and Janning knocked in runs, giving the Bears a 3-0 advantage during the top of the second inning.
From there, though, the Mustangs scored five-straight for the win, 5-3. Ulven and Janning both pitched in the game with Ulven allowing just one hit in two innings of work.
BHS SOFTBALL LINE SCORES
Tuesday
No. 1 Blair 15, Ralston 1, 4 inn.
BHS (13-3) 1 2 12 0 — 15
RHS (9-4) 0 1 0 0 — 1
Saturday
No. 5 Millard North 5, No. 1 Blair 3
BHS (12-3) 2 1 0 0 0 — 3
MN 0 1 4 0 0 — 5
No. 1 Gretna 6, No. 1 Blair 1
GHS 0 0 0 1 5 — 6
BHS (12-2) 1 0 0 0 0 — 1
Sept. 1
No. 1 Blair 9, Lincoln Southeast 1, 5 inn.
BHS (12-1) 4 0 3 2 0 — 9
LSE 0 1 0 0 0 — 1
No. 1 Blair 8, No. 7 Elkhorn South 3, 5 inn.
BHS (11-1) 3 0 0 5 0 — 8
ES 1 0 0 2 0 — 3
