Late hits, solid pitching gets Jays the win Friday afternoon
Jun. 2—FARGO, N.D. — Jamestown High School head softball coach Mike Soulis took a sigh of relief in the third inning of the consolation semifinal game between the Blue Jays and Grand Forks Central.
"The last two games we were getting going kind of late," Soulis said. "As a coaching staff, we think what's letting us down is not having quality at-bats with a sense of urgency.
"We wait for someone to spark us and it eats up innings as you are waiting for something to happen," he said. "We got through it this time but we've got to do something different tomorrow."
The Blue Jays held off Grand Forks Central to earn an 11-2 win in the consolation semifinals on Friday. The win sends the Jays' to the Class A State Tournament consolation championship game for the second-straight year. Jamestown will face West Fargo Sheyenne in the consolation championship at 10 a.m. at NDSU's Tharaldson Park.
Once the Jays started stringing some hits together in the bottom of the third, Soulis said the team's whole attitude shifted to confidence and composure.
"The belief was always there but we were just lacking some confidence," Soulis said. "Once someone had some good at-bats and struck a line drive and we put the first run across we kind of got jumpstarted."
That someone was Makenna Nold.
In the top of the third, with Jada Walter at third and two down, Nold sent Walter home off a hard ground ball hit out to center field.
Nold scored on the next play, advancing on a passed ball to make it 3-2 Blue Jays. Violet Bohl represented the Jays' ice-breaking run. Bohl scored on a passed ball following the first pitch of Nold's at-bat.
Nold was 2-4 at the plate. She drove in a pair of runners and recorded a triple and an inside-the-park home run.
The junior also got the win at pitcher. She tossed 3.1 innings in relief and allowed three hits, one walk and zero runs. She struck out seven in the batter's box.
"She came in and got us out of a jam and kept it at 2-0 and then jumpstarted us with a couple of nice line drives and an in-the-park home run," Soulis said. "That's just her hustling. She could have easily jogged it in for a double but she was running hard right out of the box.
"If I were to pinpoint a person — she was our spark plug today."
Ella Falk also notched some key hits for the Blue Jays, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and RBIs. Walter was .500 in the box with two RBIs. Freshman Sophia Bond was 2-for-3.
It was good — but the Jays still have things to improve upon.
"The girls are still learning," Soulis said. "We'll learn from Thursday night and today and make adjustments and prepare for either West Fargo or West Fargo Sheyenne.
"We're going to go freshen up and get some rest and then we're going to go support our boys' team then get some more rest and get after it tomorrow," he said. "We're going to battle."
Jamestown 11, Grand Forks Central 2
GFC 200 000 2 — 2 7 0
JHS 003 341 X — 11 11 1
GFC: Aubrey Hensrud; JHS: Katie Falk, Makenna Nold. W — Nold, L — Hensrud
JHS — Nold (3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) 2-4, 3B, HR, 2 RBI; Ella Falk 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Sophia Bond 2-3, Addison Graves 1-3, Torrie Mack 1-3, Jada Walter 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, Leah Trumbauer 1-3, 2 RBI,
GFC — Sadie Hillman 1-4, Morgan Tebelius 1-3, Bella Beauchamp 1-3, 2B, RBI; Ramsey Petron 1-2; Emiley Gereau 1-4, RBI.
