Lady Jays Softball
Bluejays Swing and Miss at the Boone Central Tournament
By Jada Brummels
Whack! The sound that draws every eye to the field as pitcher Kaelyn Halsey strikes out another girl. The first, but not the last, of the day for the Bluejays softball team. All 13 girls made their way to Boone Central for their weekend tournament. During this event, the Bluejays managed to secure one win, ending their day 1-2.
In their first game of the day, Pierce faced Polk County-Aquinas, but fell short, ending the game 11-5 in favor of the Slammers. In their first and second innings of the day, the Slammers put up three runs, while Pierce trailed with zero. Then in the third inning, the Slammers added four runs, leaving the Bluejays with zero and making the score 10-0. However, the Bluejays kicked it into gear and, in their fourth and final inning, scored an impressive five runs while holding the Slammers to one. After 75 minutes, the game ended with the Bluejays falling short.
Top performers for the game were seniors Jessa Kraft, who had one RBI and two hits, as well as Evelyn Skrdla who had two RBI’s, a hit, and a stolen base.
After this loss, Coach Ryan Ohnoukta realized that his team needed encouragement and reminded them, “We have improved so much since day one. We believe in ourselves and in each other to earn wins.” Then the Bluejays felt prepared to take on the Cardinals.
In their second game of the day, Pierce faced Boone Central and managed to pull out a win, ending the game 6-3. During the first inning, the Bluejays managed to score one run while the Cardinals secured two. In the second inning, Boone got one more player home while holding the Bluejays to none. The third inning was dry, with no runs put on the board by either team. Then, in the fourth inning, the Bluejays made an impressive comeback, scoring four runs to pass the Cardinals. In the fifth and final inning, no runs were scored, securing a win for the Bluejays.
“Kaelyn Halsey pitched a great game, battling tough Boone Central hitters. Maelee Hamilton hit a key double to get the scoring started. After some HBP (hit by pitch) and a walk, Athena Bretschneider hit a double to make it 6-3. Halsey earned the win on the mound,” Ohnoukta stated after the game.
“We are just good at looking to the next game and not focusing on past mistakes; this definitely helped us bounce back for Boone Central,” sophomore Eleanor Bauermister stated, when asked about their mindsets in this comeback game.
In their third and final game of the day, the Bluejays played Centura/Central Valley and ended their day with a 7-0 loss. During the first and second innings, no points were scored; however, in the third inning, the Centurions began their streak, adding two runs. Then in the fourth inning, the Centurions managed to slide past the Bluejays scoring another four runs. And in the fifth and final inning, the Centurions added one final run to the board.
Outstanding statistics for this game included Kaelyn Halsey’s strikeout.
Catch the Bluejays at their next home game on Sep. 17!
Pierce Travels to O’Neill Triangular
By Lydia Cone
The Bluejays traveled to O’Neill for a triangular with the O’Neill Eagles and the Ord Chanticleers on Thursday, September 3, and the Bluejays won both of their games.
The first game of the triangular was against Ord, where the Bluejays came out with a big win with a score of 11-7.
In the first inning, neither team scored, but came out swinging in the second, with the Bluejays scoring six runs, and the Chanticleers scoring five. In the third inning, the run count was 5-2 in favor of the Bluejays. After a no-score inning for the Chanticleers, the game was over.
“We got off to a poor start, but the girls battled back to beat Ord. I was proud of the girls for how they stayed together through adversity,” head coach Ryan Ohnoutka stated.
Pierce then faced off against the O’Neill Eagles.
In the first inning, the Bluejays scored three runs, and in the second inning as well. On the O’Neill side, they scored one run in the first and none in the second. The Bluejays then went on to score four more runs in the fourth, while Ord scored one in the third inning and three in the fourth. The final score was 10-5 in favor of the Bluejays.
“My favorite part of the night was when Kaelyn hit a grand slam because anyone hitting a home run is great, but a grand slam really just boosts everyone’s mood, and it definitely helped us to secure the win,” sophomore Eleanor Bauermeister said.
Be sure to catch the Bluejays next game on September 15, a triangular at Boone Central!
