Cyclones Jump Right In to Busy Season
Let’s play ball!
When softball teams across Nebraska hear this phrase, they know softball season has arrived, and play, play, play they will! When softball season starts, it is a whirlwind of many games in a short amount of time.
Their first week of games was a long one. On Monday, August 26th, the Cyclones faced the Boone Central Newman Grove Cardinals on their home field in Leigh. It was a big game for the team, and they were ready.
Both teams jumped on it early in the game, scoring two runs a piece in the first inning. The Cardinals took the second inning scoring a run and the Cyclones nothing. The third inning the Cyclones couldn’t find it and the Cardinals were able to score five more runs. The Cyclones answered back with three more runs.
The game was very back-and-forth and came down to who could score the most runs. In the last inning, the Cyclones were down by five runs.
It seemed they had been bested by the Cardinals, but they plugged away and scored those five runs to tie the game!
After the game was tied, junior, Kyleigh Rayback, was up to bat, and her sister, senior, Payje Rayback, was on first base. Kyleigh hit a walk-off triple, bringing Payje home! The needed run was scored, and the Cyclones won the game by one run, 15-14! It was a very competitive game by both teams, and a great win for the Cyclones.
Senior, Payje Rayback, said, “Monday night’s game was the best win for the whole team. We came back late in the game, which showed how much fight we have. The crowd and dugout’s energy helped keep us in the game. Tuesday night’s game could have ended up differently if we played down to their level. Knowing that we kept up our game the whole game showed that there is a lot in store for us this year. I’m so glad to be a part of this team and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season play out for us.”
With a quick turnaround, the Cyclones hit the road on Tuesday, August 27th, and traveled to Pierce to take on the Pierce Bluejays. With all the excitement from the night before, the Cyclones were ready for another game.
The Cyclones started the game, scoring a quick six runs in the first inning. The Bluejays responded with four runs. The second inning brought 11 runs for the Cyclones and they held the Bluejays to nothing. The third inning the Cyclones scored four more runs, and only allowed the Bluejays to score one. With the Cyclones being up by more than 12 runs after the third inning, the mercy rule was used and that was the game.
Assistant Coach, Nicole Kabes, said, “In Monday night’s game, the girls proved that they can overcome defeat by making an incredible comeback. It was a great win for our first home game. The girls came together and worked as a team to make each other better. It was a great opportunity for our younger players step up and play at the varsity level.”
The Cyclone Softball Team is off to a great start on their season and we wish them luck on the rest of their season!
Hwy 91 vs. Boone Central
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Final
Hwy 91 2 0 0 0 3 4 6 15
Boone Central 2 1 5 1 0 3 2 14
Individual Stats from the BC/NG Game (By Player): (Hits-At Bats, Runs, RBI, Pitching Strikeouts, Stolen Bases, Putouts):
Abbey Pieper: (0-4, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)
Rylee Olson: (2-4, 1, 0, 0, 0, 2)
Haley Bovee: (0-2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 2)
Faith Indra: (4-5, 3, 3, 0, 2, 0)
Jaedyn Ratzlaff: (3-4, 0, 2, 2, 1, 0)
Lilly Praest: (0-0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0)
Payje Rayback: (3-5, 4, 2, 0, 1, 10)
Riana Grotelueschen: (2-3, 3, 1, 0, 0, 0)
Sophia Dvorak: (0-2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)
Kyleigh Rayback: (2-5, 1, 2, 0, 0, 2)
Natalie Reeves: (2-3, 0, 2, 0, 0, 5)
Hwy 91 vs. Pierce
1 2 3 Final
Hwy 91 6 11 4 21
Pierce 4 0 1 5
Individual Stats from the BC/NG Game (By Player): (Hits-At Bats, Runs, RBI,Pitching Strikeouts, Stolen Bases, Putouts):
Abbey Pieper: (0-2, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0)
Rylee Olson: (0-1, 2, 2, 0, 1, 0)
Haley Bovee: (1-3, 2, 3, 0, 1, 0)
Faith Indra: (1-3, 2, 0, 0, 2, 0)
Jaedyn Ratzlaff: (2-2, 0, 3, 5, 0, 0)
Lilly Praest: (1-1, 3, 0, 0, 1, 0)
Payje Rayback: (1-2, 3, 0, 0, 0, 2)
Riana Grotelueschen: (0-1, 1 ,1, 0, 0, 1)
Sophia Dvorak: (0-1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0)
Kyleigh Rayback: (1-2, 3, 3, 0, 0, 0)
Natalie Reeves: (1-1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 6)