Lady Jays Softball
Pierce Takes on the Wisner Softball Tournament
By Rylee Altwine
The Pierce softball team traveled to Wisner to compete in a tournament on Saturday, August 30, and the Bluejays fell short and went 0-2 for the day, losing Blue River and Logan View/ Scribner Snyder.
Game one was against Blue River. Senior Kylie Dvorak hit her first career home run to add a point to the score. In addition to Dvorak’s home run, she also hit a double. Sophomore Kaelyn Halsey punched a triple for the Jays. Unfortunately, Pierce fell two runs short of Blue River with a final score of 5-3.
“Our first game was good. I had a home run, but we still fell short. The second game really showed us the things we need to work more on,” Dvorak says.
Game two, after receiving a bye in the first round of the consolation bracket, the Bluejays battled against Logan View/Scribner-Snyder. Evelyn Skrdla and Jessa Kraft both knocked out doubles for Pierce, while Kraft added a home run. With a final score of 15-2, the Pierce lost their second and final game of the day.
“I think that this tournament was a good heads up for the younger girls on what fall ball really is like. We had some good competition, but just didn’t quite meet the right standards in terms of playing up to them. We have a good, built team, but just need to get better and the mechanics, which is what it boils down to. Coach Emory always tells us girls that it comes down to just a game of catch, which is what we really need to focus on. I felt like the tournament went well defensively for me, but I struggled offensively, minus a good hit as well as a couple of good bunts. I’m excited to see how the rest of the season will go,” senior second baseman Peyton Brunckhorst says.
The softball team will host a triangular against O’Neill and Ord on Thursday, September 4.
Bluejays Battle There Hardest Against North Bend
By Skyler Stern
The Pierce Bluejays played against the North Bend Tigers on Thursday, August 28, just coming up short with a loss of 11-10.
“I thought the team did very well at battling through some adversity,” head coach Grant King states. “North Bend jumped out to an 8-1 lead after two innings, after some costly errors affected us on defense. We didn't let that ruin our night, as we climbed back into the game before falling just short. They played hard, but trying to overcome those errors was just too much.”
Kaelyn Halsey pitched four innings in which she only allowed five hits and had three strikeouts. After Halsey pitched, Kylie Dvorak took over and allowed no hits for an inning.
Offensively, Athena Bretchneider and Jessa Kraft both collected three hits for the Bluejays. Evelyn Skrdla and Halsey both added on with two hits each. To end the night, Savannah Beutler and Dvorack both smacked one hit each.
“One thing that needs improvement is our cheering and loudness in the dugout. At some moments, we did get a little quiet, but we were all still uplifting towards everybody,” Beutler remarks.
