The wind swirled and Fort Calhoun junior Tristan Fuhrman swung.
The end result was a three-run homer beyond the left field fence and off of the scoreboard. The first-inning shot propelled the Pioneers baseball team past the visiting Douglas County West Falcons, 10-6.
“That was definitely all wind,” Fuhrman said. His slam pushed coach Roy Prauner's team out to an early 4-1 lead. “That's like 50 feet short of the fence all day.”
But, instead, it got FCHS started on its seven-inning march to its second win of the spring season.
“I just heard Prauner yelling, 'Run!'” Fuhrman said of his trip around the bags. “I was digging hard as I could, but then I just heard everyone yelling and I was like, 'What the heck?'”
The junior also spotted a Falcon just standing with the ball in the outfield after it'd ricocheted back into the field of play off of the board. He made his way back home and was met by a crowd at the plate.
The fence-clearing shot completed a four-run first inning for Calhoun. The first tally was knocked in by senior Jake Seina before both he and Tylan Conner scored on Fuhrman's swing.
Then, during the second inning, the Pioneers pushed their lead to 9-1 with five more runs. This time, they were aided by DC West mistakes.
First, FCHS' Ty Hallberg scored on a Falcon error off of Zach Faucher's bat. Two more Pioneers then scored when a Fuhrman pop fly again was caught in the wind and fell between DCW fielders.
Ahead 7-1, Austin Welchert added a two-RBI single, which pushed the home team's advantage to eight runs through just two innings.
From there, the Falcons scratched their way back into the game. They trailed just 9-6 before Seina's sixth-inning sac fly — set up by Conner's leadoff triple — pushed the lead back to four runs.
“You've just got to pick your head up and get back at it,” Fuhrman said of the Pioneers' mindset as their lead shrank.
Ultimately, Fort Calhoun earned the outs it needed. Conner — who combined with pitcher Justin Myer for 10 Ks — struck out the first two batters he faced during the final inning before a flyout ended it. The victory pushed the Pioneers' record to 2-2 before Tuesday's game against Bennington.
FCHS falls to No. 5 Bennington
FCHS fell to 2-3 Tuesday against the Class B No. 5 Badgers, but not without challenging their guests throughout.
The Pioneers led 5-4 through three innings, but, ultimately, lost 8-6. Coach Prauner's team fell behind 7-5 through five innings, surrendered another run during the top of the sixth, but then scored one of their own during the bottom half to pull back within two.
After a scoreless seventh inning, though, Bennington moved to 7-0, while Calhoun fell to one game below .500.
