The Broken Bow Spirit softball team concluded play Sunday at the USA Softball of Nebraska CLASS D Fastpitch State Championship at the Bill Smith Softball Complex in Hastings, NE.
After falling to Hebron in their second game of the tournament on Friday, the Spirit battled through the elimination bracket on Saturday collecting four wins to advance to the final day of the tournament. Broken Bow opened Sunday’s play with a rematch against Hebron. This time it would be Broken Bow collecting the win. After Hebron scored three runs in the top of the first inning, Broken Bow answered with four runs in the bottom of the first then added three more in the third and one more in the fourth on their way to an 8-5 win. Lily Thornton was among the offensive heroes with an RBI double in the first and later a solo homerun in the fourth. Skylar Smith also had a multi-hit game finishing 2 for 3 with two runs scored. Thornton went the distance in the circle striking out seven.
Broken Bow faced BDS for the right to advance to the championship round. It was a low scoring pitcher’s duel with the teams combining for just six total hits in the game. Broken Bow had just two hits in the game with both coming off the bat of Lily Thornton. Thornton’s first hit of the game came in her first at bat when she doubled to score Alexis Pflaster for what would be Broken Bow’s lone run of the game. BDS tied the game with a run in the third. The score stayed 1-1 until the bottom of the sixth when BDS scored the winning run collecting a 2-1 walk-off win. The Spirit conclude their season with a third place finish at state.
BDS advanced to the championship where they faced the Oakland Rockets for the title. Oakland claimed the championship going through the tournament undefeated shutting out BDS 10-0 in the final game.
