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SMH Cardinals Check Out Of Tournament Early

Last week it was the St. Mary's boys turn to try to prove th...

Eagle Softball Ends Busy Week With Tournament Championship


OUt At third  Desi Pinkerman tags a Wayne player out at third in last weeks game against Wayne held in O'Neill. 



The O'Neill Eagle softball team played their eighth game in seven days on Saturday, and saved it's best for last with a first place finish at the Wisner Invitational tournament.  After beginning the season with their most difficult schedule in five years, the Eagles had a 1-4 record and were coming off discouraging 7-2 and 12-9 losses to Wayne and Twin River.  They then headed to the Wisner tournament tested and ready to compete.

In their first home action of the season, the Eagles took on fifth ranked Wayne last Tuesday in O'Neill.   The Eagles battled throughout the game, and limited Wayne's scoring opportunities until the 4th and 5th innings, when Wayne broke through for three runs.  OHS got their first base runner in the fifth when Rachel Price hit a single to short right.  Wayne came back with four more runs in the sixth and seventh, leaving the Eagles trailing 7-0 in their last at bat.  Toni Hamik  lead off and reached on a hard hit grounder that was misplayed at third. Price then followed with a bunt single and catcher Carli Baseggio moved the runners over with a sac bunt.  Marisa Miles walked to load the bases and Erin Boyle delivered a clean single to right to drive in O'Neill's only runs of the game.  Price pitched the complete game, striking out nine and not walking a batter in the 7-2 loss.

On Thursday, the Eagles traveled to Silver Creek to take on state ranked Twin River.  OHS took an early 2-0 lead in the 1st, but gave it up in the bottom of the inning on a 3-run homer by the Titans.  In the second, the Eagles went quietly, and the Titans exploded for eight runs with a combination of excellent hitting and defensive mistakes from the Eagles.  Trailing 11-3, the Eagles did not fold and outscored the Titans 6-1 the rest of the way.  Offensively for OHS, Kelci Ross had a career night, going 3-3 with a single and two doubles and adding two walks.  Desi Pinkerman also had three hits and two RBI's, with Jessi Simons and Rachel Price collecting two hits each.  Defensively, right-fielder Liz Wallace saved at least two runs with a diving catch for the third out in the third inning.  Price took the loss, striking out eight in six innings.

The Eagles opened the Wisner tournament on Saturday with the High Plains Storm and came away with an efficient 7-1 win.  The battery of Price and Baseggio faced two batters past the miminum in seven innings, allowing only one hit, striking out six and walking only one.  Offensively, Marisa Miles lead off the fourth with a triple and Erin Boyle followed with an excellent bunt.  Both runners scored in the inning to stretch the Eagles lead to 5-0.  In the sixth, Baseggio lead off with a single.  Courtesy runner Jean Zac then stole second and third and scored on a Boyle single as the Eagles came away with the win.

In the second game, the Eagles took on Pierce and defeated them 5-4.  Again they jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.  Simons started the offense with a bunt single and Ross followed  with a single of her own.  Desi Pinkerman had a base hit and Toni Hamik hit a long  sacrifice fly to score Simons.  Ross then scored on an RBI single from Rachel Price.  In the second Freshman Randi Pinkerman scored after reaching on a base hit, stealing second and getting driven in on another Ross hit.  Pierce kept coming and played excellent defense to keep the game within reach.  In the bottom of the seventh, first Pierce hitter drove a hard shot on the line at third.  Desi Pinkerman made a great stop and throw to get the first out of the inning and kill any hopes of a rally.  Offensively, Ross went 4-4 and Desi Pinkerman collected two hits for the Eagles.

The championship game saw OHS taking on a very familiar foe, in the Eagles from Lutheran High Northeast.  O'Neill scored first on a single from Desi Pinkerman and a two-out double from Toni Hamik.  They then broke it open in the third inning, scoring four runs.  Jessi Simons and Rachel Price started the inning with a singles and Marisa Miles came through again with a 2-RBI double.  With the Eagles leading 6-1 in the fifth, Kelci Ross hit a three-run homer to left to seal the 9-1 win.  Desi Pinkerman, Hamik, Simons, Miles and Erin Boyle all had two hits and Price pitched a one-hitter to get the win.

Next action for O'Neill will  be Pierce on Thursday.



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