The Class B No. 1 Blair High School softball team is headed back to the NSAA State Softball Championships after Friday's two-game sweep of Aurora.
Brooke Janning and Kalli Ulven earned pitching wins as Jennifer Fangmeier's squad routed Aurora 10-0 and 15-2 during the B-1 District Finals at the Blair Youth Sports Complex. The Bears (30-4 overall) earned third during last season's state tourney and are returning to the annual NSAA event for the 15th time in school history.
The Bears handled 16th-seeded Aurora to claim one of eight 2023 state spots, scoring seven first-inning runs in the opening game before notching 12 more during the first frame of the second. Janning notched a three-RBI single to highlight game No. 1's flurry before Nessa McMillen and Ulven hit back-to-back homers during the opening stretch of the clincher. Leah Chance notched a three-RBI double during the second game's first inning, too.
BHS enters the state tournament one win shy of last season's school record for wins in a season. The Bears last won the state championship in 2010.
The Class B state bracket opens 2 p.m. Wednesday at Bill Smith Softball Complex in Hastings. Blair is the likely No. 1 seed. The tournament continues through next Friday in Hastings before the championship finals on Oct. 16 in Omaha at Connie Claussen Field.
Note: The Fort Calhoun softball team will look to join BHS at the state tournament on Saturday during the Class C-8 District Finals. The Pioneers play a best-of-three series in Gothenburg with the opening game set for a 10 a.m. start.
For the full story and additional photos, check out Tuesday's edition of the Washington County Pilot-Tribune. Coverage will also appear online here at enterprisepub.com/sports.
