SCORE UPDATE 8/30: Malcolm 2, Ralston 1
The week started out looking promising. It ended with reason for concern. The Malcolm softball team had what was one of its toughest weeks in program history as the Clippers went 1-5 while facing solid competition from Classes A and B.
Malcolm opened the week with a 3-2 home loss on Aug. 23 to Class B No. 1 Wahoo. Both teams played solid defense as pitchers Autumn Iverson and Emma Brown each did enough to keep batters guessing.
One defensive miscue may have been the difference in the game when a first inning pop up off the bat of Iverson was mishandled. Iverson came around to put Wahoo on the board. The teams were even from that point.
“I loved the compete in the team that night,” Malcolm head coach Travis Meyer said. “They weren’t scared. They competed the whole way. They need to believe they can do this all the time.”
Malcolm traveled to Blair for an Aug. 25 triangular with the Bears and NEN. Blair scored four in the first inning and stayed in control the rest of the way as it cruised to a 6-2 win. The Bears’ pitching staff held Malcolm to just four hits.
Malcolm bounced back in the second game of the night as Alanea Babb led the way by going 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of runs batted in. Emma Brown fanned six NEN batters en route to a 5-0 shutout win.
The Clippers played three games at the Aug. 27 Blair Invitational. None went well as Malcolm struggled to produce enough offense to stay competitive.
Blair’s Kalli Ulven pitched a one-hit gem in a five-inning 9-1 defeat of Malcolm to open the day. Alyssa Fortik’s double was the Clippers’ lone hit of the game as the Bears put away Malcolm for the second time of the week.
“Blair didn’t do anything special,” Meyer said. “They just took advantage of our mistakes. We failed to do the same to them.”
The Clippers’ long day continued as Bellevue West put away Malcolm 8-2 in the second game of the day. Keira Farritor and Tekamah Bratrsovsky had doubles for the Clippers who were held to five hits.
Shaylee Heidtbrink – a freshman – got the start for Malcolm and pitched two-and-a-third innings. They were the only innings of rest that Brown had in a six-game week. Heidtbrink allowed four runs on two hits while striking out two Thunderbirds’ batters.
“Our pitching situation is a concern,” Meyer said. “We’re leaning a lot on Emma, and our lack of offensive production means she has to be just about perfect.”
In the final game of the day, Malcolm faced a Cozad team it beat seven days earlier. This time, the Haymakers had the upper hand in a 4-2 win. Solo home runs from Fortik and Ava Helms were all the scoring Malcolm got.
“Our approach at the plate has me concerned,” Meyer said. “There’s a complete inability or willingness to adjust and adapt.”
Malcolm (4-5) has a chance to change the course this week as they travel to Ralston (4-3) for a conference matchup on Tuesday before heading to Milford for a Thursday triangular with the Eagles (4-1) and Freeman (3-4). The Clippers will participate in the Fairbury Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 3.
“This week will tell us where this team is headed,” Meyer said. “We can right the ship or we can throw in the towel.”
