For the third time in three games, the Arlington High School softball team faced a Class C team ranked by the Omaha World-Herald.
This time, against No. 1 Ashland-Greenwood (6-3 overall) on Tuesday, the Eagles (4-5) held their ground and battled to the end of an 8-5 road loss. Coach Janelle Lorsch's team scored all five of its runs across the last two innings, forcing the host Bluejays to buckle down late.
Early, though, Ashland pitcher Reese Fisher kept AHS in check.
“We knew with Reese on the mound that she was going to throw a little bit higher, a little bit harder,” Lorsch said. “And during our first-time at-bats, we really liked that rise ball. We really wanted that thing bad.”
The approach, though, wasn't netting much results beyond a Savannah Lang single during the second inning.
“But then we got more patient,” Lorsch said. “We swung and we got some foul balls. We put the ball in the play.”
So, when the Bluejays switched pitchers, the Eagles were primed and ready to attack at the plate. Trailing 6-0 during the top of the sixth inning, Arlington's Emme Timm notched a one-out, infield single. Kallan Reed walked next before Lauren Pittman bunted, putting the base runners in position for back-to-back RBI swings by Britt Nielsen and Lydia Schaapveld.
The Bluejays answered with two of their own runs on AHS errors during the bottom half of the inning, but, by then, the Eagles were in rhythm from the batter's box.
Tessa Spivey opened the top of the seventh inning with a single before Lilly Lang, who was eventually substituted out for pinch-runner Libby Stork, also reached base. Teagan Taylor bunted next before Timm pulled Arlington within 8-3 by sacrifice.
Reed batted next for Lorsch's team, pushing across the Eagles' fourth run on an RBI double to left-centerfield. Pittman then pulled AHS within three runs when she hit into an error.
The seventh-inning offensive output forced Ashland's hand as the Bluejays placed Fisher back in the circle to close out the game for good. Lorsch and company hated to see the relief pitcher go with the starter back in.
“(The Bluejays) had to pull her because we were coming back there in the seventh,” Lorsch said.
With Fisher back in, though, Ashland handled business, closing out the home win.
AHS earns 4th in West Point
Before its matchup with No. 1, Arlington spent its Saturday in West Point, going 1-2 to earn fourth during Guardian Angels Central Catholic's Bluejay Invite.
The Eagles beat Tekamah-Herman, 11-1, in their first game before facing and falling to Class C No. 4 GACC and No. 2 Wahoo Neumann. Lilly Lang had five AHS RBIs during the six-inning win against the Tigers, while Spivey earned the victory in the circle, throwing to the catcher.
Arlington then lost an 8-0 game to the hosts, allowing two runs during the opening inning.
“We really played well against GACC,” Lorsch said. “We just couldn't get the bat to go when we wanted it to go.”
The game went five innings before Neumann dispatched the Eagles in three, 14-0. The Cavaliers scored 13 second-inning runs during the run-rule victory in West Point.
AHS SOFTBALL LINE SCORES
Tuesday
No. 1 Ashland-Greenwood 8, Arlington 5
AHS (4-5) 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 — 5
AG (6-3) 0 0 2 4 0 2 X — 8
Saturday
No. 2 Wahoo Neumann 14, Arlington 0, 3 inn.
WN 0 13 1 — 14
AHS (4-4) 0 0 0 — 0
No. 4 West Point GACC 8, Arlington 0, 5 inn.
WPGACC 2 0 4 2 0 — 8
AHS (4-3) 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Arlington 11, Tekamah-Herman 1, 6 inn.
AHS (4-2) 0 3 0 0 5 3 — 11
TK 0 0 0 1 0 0 — 1
