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Bison, N.P. showdown at B-6 softball district
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Everything stayed true to form Thursday, Oct. 10, in the opening day of the Class B-6 District girls softball tournament.
Top seeds North Platte and McCook both won Thursday evening in second-round action to set up a Friday, Oct. 11 noon showdown at the Dowhower Complex in the northern section of North Platte.
The Lady Bison used a grand-slam home run by Tiara Schmidt to key a five-run fourth inning in a 9-1 victory over third-seed Gering. Gering advanced to the second round with a 10-0 victory over Alliance early Thursday.
North Platte beat fourth seed Cozad, 9-2, in Thursday's other second-round contest. Cozad survived a wild battle with Scottsbluff, finally beating the Bearcats 12-11, in the other first-round action early Thursday.
The McCook-North Platte winner gains a berth in the double-elimination B-6 District championship finals Friday evening. The loser will drop to the elimination bracket for one more game to determine the other finalist.
In elimination bracket action Thursday night, Cozad stayed alive with a 15-3 win over Alliance, and Gering beat Scottsbluff, 16-4.
McCOOK FELL behind 1-0 against Gering Thursday. But the Bison came back with a run in the second, then three runs in the bottom of the second and the big fourth frame. The game ended after five innings by the mercy run rule.
McCook scored an unearned run in the second on three straight Gering errors and Kaity Elder's two-out walk.
The Bison scored all the runs they would need in the bottom of the third.
Nichelle Funk led off with a single and later scored on Maddie Elder's outfield single. Tiara Schmidt was hit by a pitch. Hayley Werkmeister then singled, and two more Gering errors allowed two more runs to score for the Bison.
Two more Gering errors and a walk loaded the bases in the fourth, then Maddie Elder got on base via an error to put McCook ahead 5-1 and bring Schmidt to the plate with bases still full. The sophomore slugger took the first pitch deep over the center field fence for the grand slam and a 9-1 cushion.
Gering went quickly in the top of the fifth to end the game, with a strikeout and two infield ground outs.
Schmidt led McCook with 4 RBI. Funk had 2 hits.
Courtney Bradley was the winning pitcher for McCook. Bradley allowed just 2 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. According to Game Changer stats, 45 of Bradley's total pitches were strikes.
THE McCOOK-North Platte winner will advance to the district championship finals scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Friday The Bison are the second seed and took a 17-11 record into Friday's action. North Platte, the top seed, is 23-9 entering the McCook game.
The two teams split four games during the regular season, with McCook's victories coming in a double-header against the Dawgs at McCook Sept. 24. North Platte edged the Bison, 10-8, in the Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference tournament finals at Columbus last Saturday.
Cozad (14-14) and Gering (19-8) were also scheduled to play at noon Friday in an elimination contest. The winner meets the Bison-North Platte loser at 1:45 p.m., with the winner of that game gaining the other berth in the finals.
If the McCook-North Platte winner would lose in the 3:30 p.m. title game, another game would immediately follow to determine the B-6 District champion.
The B-6 winner qualifies for the Class B state tournament at Hastings Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 16-18.
CLASS B-6 DISTRICT GIRLS SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Thursday-Friday, Oct. 10-11 At Dowhower Complex, North Platte
All Times CDT
(Team's District Tournament Seed, Season Record in Parenthesis)
Thursday, Oct. 10 Results
First Round
Cozad 12, Scottsbluff 11
Gering 10, Alliance 0
Winner's Bracket Semifinals
North Platte 9, Cozad 2
McCook 9, Gering 1
Elimination Bracket First Round
Gering 16, Scottsbluff 4 (Scottsbluff eliminated)
Cozad 15, Alliance 3 (Cozad eliminated)
Friday, Oct. 11 Games
Winner's Bracket Finals
(Winner to Championship Finals)
Game 7 -- North Platte (#1, 23-9) vs. McCook (#2, 17-11), noon
Elimination Bracket Semifinals
Game 8 -- Cozad (#4, 14-14) vs. Gering (#3, 19-8), noon (loser eliminated)
Elimination Bracket Finals
Game 9 -- North Platte-McCook loser vs. Cozad-Gering winner, 1:45 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Championship Finals
Game 10 -- North Platte-McCook winner vs. Game 9 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Championship Finals II (If Necessary)
Game 11 -- Game 10 winner vs. Game 10 loser (if Game 10 loser's first loss), 5:15 p.m.
B-6 District champion advances to Class B State Tournament at Hastings Oct. 16-18