PENDER – The Northeast Nebraska softball team, consisting of athletes from Pender and Wisner-Pilger, is one game after returning to state after winning the C-7 district yesterday in Pender.
In their first game of the afternoon against Fairbury, Northeast Nebraska was the first to get on the board after Laney Timm singled home a run in the bottom of the first inning.
The Jeffs would tie the game in the top of the third when Molly Hansmire scored after tagging up, but the lead would be short lived as a Timm single drove in a run in the bottom of the third, giving the Vipers a 2-1 lead.
Three more Viper runs would come across in the fourth to extend the lead to 5-1. During the inning, Karlie Rutar blasted a solo homer to left field; Mayci Dolliver tripled to score a run; and Riley Ross doubled to bring home a run.
The Vipers would add another run in the bottom of the fifth on a double from Mady Dolliver before the Jeffs plated one run in the sixth.
Mady Dolliver started in the circle for Northeast Nebraska, allowing two runs on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts over six innings woorked. Anna Jacobs threw a scoreless inning of relief.
Northeast Nebraska amassed 10 hits at the plate, with Ross leading the way with three in four at bats. Riley Scholting collected two hits in the contest as well.
Then in Game Two, the Vipers would come out with a 9-1 win over Freeman thanks to a six-run fifth inning. During that inning, Allie Rutar produced a two-RBI single, Karlie Rutar doubled home a run, Zoey Duncan scored two runs, and Scholting added a run on an RBI single.
Before the six-run fifth, Ross would put Northeast Nebraska on the board with a three-run homer to left field in the bottom of the second.
Jacobs led things off for the Vipers in the circle, surrendering a run on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts over five innings pitched.
Ross led Northeast Nebraska with three runs batted in on a 1-for-2 effort at the plate. Jacobs and Duncan each collected two hits in the process.
The Vipers will now move on to district finals action, with a date, time and location yet to be determined.