BELLEVUE — Papillion-La Vista has Jordyn Bahl, who is regarded as one of the top high school pitchers in the country.
A pitcher of that caliber alone will lead to a ton of wins.
Three days into the new season, Bahl’s power arm is getting a ton of help from the Monarchs’ offensive firepower.
Bahl threw a perfect game, and the Oklahoma recruit and Brooke Dumont each homered in helping lead Class A No. 1 Papio to an 8-0, six-inning win against Millard North in the Bellevue East Invitational championship game on Saturday at Lied Center Softball Fields.
Class A No. 1 Papillion-La Vista entered Saturday with 10 homers in three games. It hit three more in a 10-0 win against Class B No. 3 Elkhorn on Saturday morning. If you're keeping count, that's 15 homers in five games.
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The Monarchs have four Division I recruits atop the lineup. Mia Jarecki (South Dakota State), Bahl, Dumont (South Dakota State) and Maggie Vasa (Iowa) alone can put opposing pitchers through quite a stress test. But Papio is getting help from the bottom of the lineup, too.
Haley Wilwerding, the No. 6 hitter, hit a grand slam, and Bailee Lampman, the No. 9 hitter, collected two hits and three RBIs against Elkhorn. Against Millard North, pinch-hitter Anna Fitzgerald had a hit from the nine spot.
“It isn’t easy to pitch to us,†Papio coach Todd Petersen said. “We have speed, we can run, so that adds a little to it, too.â€
Bahl’s bat is simmering at the moment. She has five homers already. Bahl said she’s trying to stay in her zone, looking to hit line drives.
“I think the biggest difference in my hitting (this year) is that I’m physically stronger, because our team works so hard in the offseason in that aspect,†said Bahl, who tied the Class A single-season record last year with 22 blasts. “Also, just more confident and comfortable up there. I’m just being relaxed and free up there.â€
Bahl hit a first-inning two-run shot to left against Millard North, and Dumont crushed one to open the fourth frame. Papio’s top five hitters, including Kaylee Wagner in the five spot, combined to go 10-for-19 against the Mustangs.
“It is so nice and so exciting, and it takes a lot of pressure off not just me as a pitcher but everyone, because everyone is going to have their days when they don’t have their best performance out on the field,†said Bahl, last year's Super-State honorary captain. “Say someone goes oh-fer on the day, to have everyone else picking them up by hitting all of these bombs is awesome.
“Top to bottom, there’s not really a drop-off. Anyone can do it.â€
Bahl retired all 18 Mustang batters she faced, striking out 11, including eight over the first three innings.
Papio (5-0), which has won 41 straight games dating to last year, has outscored its first five foes 51-0. Only Millard North has taken the Monarchs past the fifth inning.
Needless to say, Petersen is very pleased with how his team has come out of the gate.
“Sometimes you see that (mistakes) at the beginning of the season, and I’m sure we may have games where you get some sloppy play, but the biggest thing we’re trying to do is just make sure they stay focused in practice, when they warm up and things like that, so they don’t get complacent, because they've got to not listen to the people on the outside,†he said. “They’ve done a good job of that so far.â€
Millard North (3-2), meanwhile, made quite an impression at the weekend tournament, finishing with a second-place plaque. The Mustangs got to the final with a 17-8 win against No. 5 Gretna.
“We said we’re going to get better each week, each game and I thought they did,†first-year Millard North coach Travis Unzicker said. “We beat three really good teams … I thought it was a good growing experience for us.â€
Lincoln East went 1-1 on the final day of the tournament, beating Blair 12-4 before falling to No. 3 Millard West 6-4. No. 7 Lincoln North Star also went 1-1 Saturday, beating Papillion-La Vista South 3-1 before losing to Bennington 5-4.