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Extra action: Swedes slide past Bison, 15-14
GOTHENBURG, Neb. — The Friday night fight was amazing as McCook and Gothenburg softball girls both threw haymaker punches not far from where rival Cozad’s Haymakers reside.
McCook was down five runs then boom, boom! They were tied 5-5.
Gothenburg blasted back in front five and then BOOM time again. The Bison tied it 9-9 and WHOA, nelly, they were suddenly leading 11-9 while going into extra innings of this varsity softball season opener.
“It is just hard to win extras on the road,” McCook coach Jason Cochran observed. “But I’m proud of the way we fought throughout!”
Indeed. The Bison took leads not once, not twice, but three times during those 10-inning thriller.
Yet home field means the Swedes could always counter punch. They deserve credit for doing just that and forcing 11-11, 12-12 then finally a 14-14 deadlock.
That’s when Avery Dunphy hit one final ground ball and the ensuing throw home couldn’t beat baserunner Alexis Bliven.
Bliven scored to cap her four-hit, three-run, two-RBI night and give Gothenburg a 15-14 win in 10 innings.
The Swedes (1-0) prevailed even though Bison batters unleashed 18 hits featuring sophomore Grace Nelson’s four (two doubles, two singles).
Seniors Trinity Raburn and Kaylin Martin smashed another three hits apiece. They teamed to score five Bison runs.
Senior Kori Uerling (two runs, RBI), juniors Ashley Miller (Two runs, RBI) and Savannah Donovan (run) added two hits apiece.
“Bats did what I thought we could do,” Cochran said. “We need to score the runners in scoring position a little better.”
Nelson’s first big hit made sure both Candace Coleman (hit, two RBIs) and Martin scored to force the first tie at 5-5.
McCook (0-1) had climbed from a 5-0 first-inning crater where the Bison bumbled three early fielding miscues.
“If you take out the first inning with three errors, the game would have been different,” Cochran confirmed. “We have to sure up some things on the defensive side when we get back to the practice field.”
The Bison only committed two more errors during those next nine innings.
Meanwhile, starting pitcher Uerling kept battling and blanked those Swedes for three consecutive frames.
Uerling finished five innings with 13 pitches or less — but also showed the toughness to work all 9 1/3. She only walked two batters while throwing 98 of 151 softballs for strikes.
“I was very pleased with how Kori pitched,” Cochran said as six Swede runs were unearned.
Trailing 9-6, McCook got another clutch hit when Tesa Nelson singled in Uerling and Graci Nelson during her first at-bat.
Donovan singled to continue this seventh-inning Bison comeback.
Moments later, a Swede fielding error allowed Abbie Johnson to motor home for the 9-9 tie.
Uerling worked around Gothenburg’s two-out double to push this thriller into extra innings.
McCook took its first lead of the game on Graci Nelson’s two-out, two-run double.
Both Raburn and Uerling — who delivered a key bunt single — scored to crate an 11-9 lead.
Yet the Swedes answered thanks to hitting star Bliven’s two-RBI single making it 11-11 through eight frames.
The Bison scored again without even needing a hit.
Senior Brolin Morgan and Tesa Nelson both worked walks before Donovan’s grounder moved Morgan to third base.
Miller delivered another ground ball which gave Morgan enough time to score for a 12-11 margin.
However, each softball half-inning features a runner starting at second base. Gothenburg used a sacrifice bunt and grounder to get home its 12th run — punctuating Cochran’s earlier “hard to win extras on the road” observation.
Raburn started McCook’s 10th at second base where a single from Martin moved her to third.
Uerling’s squeeze bunt was perfect as Raburn brought home a 13th Bison run.
Even batter was how Graci Nelson’s second double plated Martin and McCook led 14-12.
Sadly for Bison fans, Alexis Bliven and Amya Bliven both singled to start the next half-frame.
They both scored along with “placed” runner Xanthia Brian for the 15-14 G-Burg win.
Despite the final score, McCook gained great experience entering a busy week of four tough games at Hastings today and Thursday.
“All in all, it was a nice start,” Cochran concluded.