Douglas County West swept its Washington County opposition Friday and Saturday, capping its Nebraska Capitol Conference (NCC) Tournament title victory in Fort Calhoun.
The Falcons didn't allow a single run against Arlington nor the Pioneers and allowed just three combined hits. While they went 2-0, AHS finished the two-day tourney 0-2 and coach Roy Prauner's top-seeded FCHS squad went 1-1.
Calhoun splits Saturday matchups
The Class C No. 3 Pioneers advanced onto the NCC title game with a 6-1 win against Raymond Central, but the Saturday afternoon championship game got away from them at home.
After three scoreless innings, DC West produced four fourth-inning runs and seven during the fifth to win by run-rule, 11-0. The loss was just Fort Calhoun's fourth of the season as it dropped to 10-4.
Pioneers Chase Bierman, Sam Genoways and Eric Koterba collected hits against the Falcons, but their team was still shutout for the first time this season.
Colton Willmott — who also tied for the team lead with two RBIs — earned the DC West win on the mound, striking out two FCHS batters. Genoways, meanwhile, took the pitching loss despite seven strikeouts across 4 1/3 innings.
To reach the championship tilt, though, right-hander Levi Lasher struck out four Raymond Central batters across 5 2/3 on Saturday morning. Bierman then allowed just one hit in relief as the Pioneers earned a five-run victory.
The weather was pleasant as FCHS ended the first inning with a 4-1 lead. After the first of two Alex Christensen run-scoring swings, Eric Koterba hit into an error for the three-run advantage.
The Pioneers maintained the lead from there, using persistence in the field to do so. During the third frame alone, a prolonged attempt at picking off a Mustang batter succeeded when Lasher got the ball to Christensen at first base.
One walk later, Lasher again went to Christensen with the ball, starting a run-down situation between first and second base. The back-and-forth ended in the second out of the inning before a single swing turned into the third out with another Raymond base runner caught between bags.
The Pioneers' 4-1 lead lasted through the fourth inning, too, before they added to it. After back-to-back groundouts, Bierman singled and Chase Premer was hit by a pitch. The situation set up Christensen, who produced a two-out, two-run knock to give the NCC tournament hosts their margin of victory.
FCHS next plays 4:30 p.m. today against their Washington County rival, Arlington. The regular season NCC matchup will be contested at the Washington County Fairgrounds, which is where both DC West and the Eagles started conference tournament play last Friday.
Eagles drop to 5-8
Altogether, Arlington struggled at the plate during the two-day NCC tourney, producing no runs across seven innings with DC West and Raymond Central.
Notably, the Eagles were no-hit for the second time this season during the first round. Coach Justin Meyer's team, however, lost just 1-0 to the soon-to-be conference champion Falcons during the Friday afternoon game at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
“I don't really think any team did anything terrible,” AHS catcher Tim Halley said. “It was one of those games with one or two plays that they make and we don't. It swings the game in their favor.”
The Falcons won the matchup, advancing onto the NCC title game with one fourth-inning run. They loaded the bases with none out and scored by sacrifice with two.
The Eagles, meanwhile, walked three times at home, but failed to log a hit. Tanner Kyllo reached third base during the fourth and Halley was robbed by of a single by a sliding left fielder, but that was about it.
“We've got to work on making adjustments at the plate,” Halley explained. “We've all just got to pick it up.”
He was 0-for-3, while Luke Ott, Luke Sharp and Peyton Marfisi had a walk apiece to go with one strikeout each.
Defensively, AHS' Jackson Stosich threw all seven innings, striking out six DC West batters. He allowed just three hits and walked just one batter.
Because of those efforts, Halley said the Eagles remained sure of themselves in defeat.
“We played good defense, except for two plays, and Jackson threw a great game,” the catcher said. “I think we have the confidence that, any time we pitch like that, we can win the game.”
The next day, Raymond Central scored five runs across the first three innings in Fort Calhoun, topping Coach Meyer's team 5-0. It was just the Mustangs' third win of the season, but second against Arlington.
The Eagles failed to score a run for the second-straight day and the fourth time this season in defeat, but they did manage three hits. The team next competes today against FCHS before a Friday evening home game against 15-1 Malcolm.
NCC TOURNAMENT LINE SCORES
Saturday
Douglas County West 11, No. 3 Fort Calhoun 0, 5 inn.
DCW (7-8) 0 0 0 4 7 — 11
FCHS (10-4) 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Raymond Central 5, Arlington 0
RC (3-10) 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 — 5 7 0
AHS (5-8) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 3 1
No. 3 Fort Calhoun 6, Raymond Central 1
RC (2-10) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 4 3
FCHS (10-3) 4 0 0 0 2 0 X — 6 4 2
Friday
DC West 1, Arlington 0
DCW (6-8) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 — 1 3 0
AHS (5-7) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 2
