HASTINGS — A loud victory in the Class A state tournament turned into a somber silence for Lincoln Southwest on Wednesday at the Bill Smith Complex.
The No. 2 Silver Hawks took care of No. 7 Bellevue East with a 20-3 victory before No. 3 Millard North handed Lincoln Southwest a 10-2 loss later Wednesday.
The Mustangs turned a 4-2 lead into a 9-2 rout in the sixth with one swing of the bat off a Jadyn Pokorny grand slam and added another run late in the inning.
“It's softball,†Lincoln Southwest head coach Mitch Ohnoutka said. “It can happen anytime. Millard North had a pretty good approach to the plate. We noticed they only hit two fly balls. With the wind blowing in today like this today is how you have to handle it. They did a great job in that regard.
“It wasn't quite our game this time. This afternoon was. So we talk about how we have to make it to Friday now. That's the new goal — one step at a time.â€
Millard North took a 2-0 advantage in the third inning before the Silver Hawks' offense started to heat up on a frigid night.
A Hadley Madson fielder's choice scored Lincoln Southwest's second run in the bottom of the fifth, while Emma Dostal knocked in an RBI in the fourth with a single.
But it was Millard North's six-run sixth inning that put the final touch to send Lincoln Southwest into a Thursday elimination game.
After the game, the first words from the Silver Hawks were to flush it and worry about the next one.
“We go back to our hitting approach and try to put some more pressure on the other team,†Ohnoutka said. “We didn't put as much pressure on (Millard North) as they did on us.â€
The Silver Hawks began Wednesday on the right foot, overcoming a 2-0 deficit with 15 runs in the bottom of the inning against Bellevue East.
The Chieftains starting pitcher Alisha McMurtry left with an injury and the Silver Hawks capitalized.
Vivian Mares-Chippeaux hit two home runs in the same inning and Lincoln Southwest hit four total and added five more runs in the second inning.
Bellevue East's Aurdrina Urwine added two home runs over her own and three RBIs.
With the loss, Lincoln Southwest will switch sides of the bracket and face the winner of Norfolk-Millard West in an elimination game at 2 p.m.
Photos: Sights from Day 1 of the Nebraska high school softball tournament — Oct. 16
Millard North's Carley Stych (right) arrives to second base safe next to Lincoln Southwest's Brenly Noerrlinger in a Class A state tournament game Wednesday in Hastings.