The Nebraska Coaches' Association all-star softball game gave many players a chance to play alongside girls they hadn't played with or met before.
For Jenna Schinstock and Erin Franzluebbers, it was just another game of catch.
The Guardian Angels Central Catholic catcher-pitcher duo have been battery mates since they were 7 years old. Their friendship and playing careers peaked last fall in Hastings, where they led the Bluejays to a Class C state championship.
Wednesday's NCA game gave them one last chance to play together, and they made it memorable.
Both started for the Blue all-stars — Schinstock behind the plate and Franzluebbers in the circle — and it was Schinstock delivering the game's biggest hit, a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the sixth inning, which helped lift the Blues to a 7-2 win over the Reds on a toasty evening at Bowlin Stadium.
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Franzluebbers, who pitched the majority of the innings during GACC's title run last fall and the Class C all-state honorary captain, tossed the first four innings, striking out five while limiting the Red squad to two runs.
"We come in and we’re like, 'We’re such the underdogs,' because here’s some Class A and B schools," said Schinstock, who was one of four Class C players selected for the game. "It was an honor."
Schinstock swung at the first pitch she saw with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. She sent the pitch to the gap in left-center and gave the Blue team a 5-2 lead.
"I knew I had to do something," said Schinstock, who will play at Midland.
Schinstock said she considers herself a social person, so she was looking forward to bonding with girls she didn't know very well. Getting a chance to share a "lifetime experience" with her pitcher made it sweeter.
"We won a state championship this year and I thought we would cut it there, but this is even better," Schinstock said.
Farewell to softball, for now
Rich Eber announced in the spring that he was stepping down as Seward's softball coach to take an administrative role at the high school.
His softball coaching career was extended to the summer. Wednesday's all-star game gave Eber, who coached the Blues, another chance to wave some baserunners around third base.
"The coaching stopped abruptly," said Eber, who accepted a new role as assistant principal. "I didn’t expect it, it wasn’t something that I was planning on when the season ended. Just an opportunity presented itself and one of the toughest decisions was giving up softball."
Eber led Seward to a state runner-up finish and a third-place finish during his coaching tenure.
"The past five years have been some of the best coaching of my career," he added. "It’s been a joy and to be able to come in and cap it off … it was something truly special."
The brightest all-stars
* Schinstock, of course. She had the game's biggest hit.
* Omaha Marian's Abby Russell pitched the final five innings to earn the win for the Blue squad. She kept the Red squad off-balanced with her change-up and didn't allow a run. Russell struck out five.
"That was impressive, facing a good lineup like that," Eber said. "She came in and the change-up was nasty."
* Lincoln Southeast's Karis Gifford had the bat and her shoes working. The Red leadoff hitter was 3-for-3 at the plate.
"All the hard work during high school season, it meant so much," Gifford said of being picked as an all-star. "All the hard work, the whole season, making sure everything I go 100% got me here."
The brightest moments
* There were a lot of good defensive plays Wednesday. Elkhorn's Nyleigh Carbaugh showed off her arm, retrieving an Emma Hain (Lincoln Southwest) single from deep right field and firing back to the infield to gun down Lincoln East's Jaydan Shigley at the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning.
* Omaha Burke's Paige Davison, playing for the Blues, flashed a strong glove. She scooped up a pair of ground balls that resulted in double plays.
* Lexington's Klair Fagot, a shortstop for the Reds, had an over-the-shoulder catch in the bottom of the sixth to keep the score tied at 2-2.