FIRTH — Norris’ softball team has 11 seniors, and they arrived at the field Tuesday having never defeated Crete in high school.
Led by their highly competitive leader in the circle and at the plate, Alexis Wiggins, the Titans were locked in on changing that.
Wiggins continued her hot start in the circle, striking out 14 batters while allowing only two hits in a complete-game effort. The senior and Creighton recruit also had what proved to be the difference-making hit, a two-run single in the fourth inning, in helping the Class B No. 5 Titans clip No. 6 Crete 3-2 at Norris High School.
Wiggins sealed the win by striking out the side in the seventh.
Norris coach Kyle McMurray said Wiggins was hitting her spots and had a lot of velocity. But most of all, he liked what he saw in Wiggins as a competitor.
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“You could see it in her face, you could see it in her eyes,†said McMurray, who also noted the team's overall competitiveness in the game. “She wanted every pitch to be a perfect pitch, and when you have a pitcher that has the talent that she has, who wants to compete at that level, you’ve got a special, special kid.â€
Tuesday’s contest featured two of the top pitchers in Class B in Wiggins and Crete’s Lexi Mach. On paper, it looked to lean to the pitchers and a low-scoring game, and it did.
After giving up two early hits, Mach settled in and found her groove. The three-year starter scattered nine hits and struck out four in six innings.
“Lexi did a great job on the mound for us,†Crete coach KiLee Griffin said of her senior ace. “She was really dialed in and got us out of a lot of tough situations. She battled through some tough adversity throughout the game.â€
Norris (4-1) broke through in the fourth inning behind some bloop hits that sneaked around Crete’s defense. Then Wiggins, with the bases loaded, swatted a hit to left for a two-run single to give the Titans a 3-0 lead.
After giving up a two-run homer to Karlee Henning in the fifth, Wiggins retired eight of the final 10 batters to secure the win.
“She’s just taking the ownership of this team on her back,†McMurray said. “These kids out here are competing for her as hard as she is competing for them. This is it. She wants to do everything for her teammates and just go there and compete every pitch. Not every inning, not every two innings, every pitch.â€
Wiggins, the team’s leadoff hitter, is embracing the role this season.
“Honestly, I like the challenge of being able to help my team all around and hopefully take them to the overall state of making it to state, even winning state,†said Wiggins, who had two hits. “I like the challenge and I like to be able to contribute as much as possible.â€
In her last three starts in the circle, Wiggins has yielded strikeout totals of 10 (Beatrice), 12 (North Platte) and 14 (Crete). Crete is 3-1 after the loss.
Around the bases
* Wow, did Class A No. 1 Papillion-La Vista make a statement with a 9-0 win against Class B No. 1 Omaha Skutt. Take a bow, Jordyn Bahl. The senior hit two home runs and now has seven blasts in five games. Bahl also struck out 10 and allowed one hit in the five-inning game. The win streak is now 42.
* Millard North continues to be the biggest surprise in Class A early on. The Mustangs beat No. 5 Gretna for the second time in four days, this time 3-2. They’ll host No. 4 Lincoln Southwest on Thursday.
* Lincoln East also is making some noise. The Spartans have always been a strong offensive team and got a boost from their pitching Tuesday in two wins (7-5 and 12-1) against No. 10 Lincoln Southeast.
Looking ahead
In addition to Southwest-Millard North on Thursday, Class A will have No. 1 Papillion-La Vista/No. 3 Millard West and Lincoln East will look to carry momentum into a doubleheader against No. 7 Lincoln North Star.