The top-ranked Blair softball team started the Class B-2 Subdistrict Tournament hot at the plate and finished it off the same way on its home diamond.
Coach Jennifer Fangmeier's Bears (28-4 overall) topped Platteview in three innings first, 13-1, and produced a seven-run sixth inning to beat Omaha Mercy 7-2 in the tourney title game. They now advance onto the district finals as the No. 1 seed, just two wins from securing a return to the NSAA State Championships after claiming third last fall. The best-of-three series starts 11 a.m. today against Aurora at the Youth Sports Complex.
First, though, BHS scored 12 first-inning runs Monday during the 12-run rout of the Trojans. After a leadoff groundout, Leah Chance and Nessa McMillen reached base for Kalli Ulven, who knocked them in for runs on a double.
Senior Bria Scott gave the Bears a 4-0 lead next with another productive swing at the plate before Claire Mann's two-RBI single. Brooke Janning then scored Mann.
Shortly thereafter, Chance's three-run homer gave Blair a 10-0 lead. Ulven notched her own two-run homer after McMillen singled, giving the Bears a 12-run advantage before Platteview could produce just three outs.
The first-inning output was all Fangmeier's team would need for its 27th win of the season, but Ulven plated McMillen by sacrifice fly to end the game early during the third frame.
It took Blair six innings to plate just one run against the Mercy Monarchs, however.
Trailing 1-0 with two outs during the top of the sixth frame, Chance finally helped the Bears break through with her second three-run homer of the B-2 Tournament. The senior stepped on home plate for a 3-1 advantage before Wrich drove in two more runs with a hit down the third-base line. Joslyn Policky finished off the offensive explosion, hitting her own RBI double to score Audie Keeling and Scott for a 7-1 advantage.
Mercy scored its second run during the bottom half of the sixth inning, but it wasn't enough as Ulven earned the Blair pitching win with 15 strikeouts. Notably, Brooke Janning earned the pitching victory against Platteview, too.
BHS SOFTBALL LINE SCORES
Monday
No. 1 Blair 7, Omaha Mercy 2
BHS (28-4) 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 — 7
OM (18-9) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 2
No. 1 Blair 13, Platteview 1, 3 inn.
PHS (13-14) 0 1 0 — 1
BHS (27-4) 12 0 1 — 13
