Kryptonite. Nemesis. Achilles heel. Pick your term.
The Bishop Neumann softball team has been all of the above to Malcolm when it comes to matchups up in the state tournament. An Oct. 13 elimination game was the most recent example as the Clippers were sent home following a 7-6 walk off loss to the Cavaliers.
It was the sixth state tournament meeting between the two teams since 2016. Bishop Neumann has won the last five with four of those victories being by one run.
“They are a well-coached team and they play well under pressure,” Malcolm coach Travis Meyer said. “We had our chances and for the most part, we took advantage. We just came up a little short.”
After the Cavaliers scored two in the bottom of the second, Malcolm answered with three runs in the top of the fourth with the help of a Keira Farritor double and a couple of Bishop Neumann errors.
The Cavs responded in the bottom half of the inning by scoring four runs as their first six batters reached safely.
Malcolm had a chance to retake the lead with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the fifth when Karsyn Broders came to the plate as a pinch hitter. The senior sent a ball up into the wind that carried from center toward the left field foul line, dropping in no-man’s land. If fair, three Clippers would score. It was ruled just foul. Two pitches later, the side was retired with three runners stranded.
In a drama-filled seventh inning, the Clippers tied the game at 6-6 when both Ava Helms and Anna Schweitzer scored on a Tekamah Bratrsovsky squeeze bunt.
With no outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Aubrey Sylliaasen hit a hard ground ball down the third baseline to bring home the winning run.
The Clippers opened tournament play with a five inning, 11-3 loss to Central City. An 11 strikeout performance by Jerzie Schindler made for a short day for the Clippers. While Alyssa Fortik went 3-for-3 and Alanea Babb hit a double, the rest of the Malcolm batters struggled to make solid contact against the junior ace.
Defensively, Meyer made some adjustments against the Bison in hopes of shoring up some weaknesses.
“We weren’t catching the ball in the outfield enough,” Meyer said. “There were too many catchable balls falling to the ground which prolonged innings.”
The Clippers committed five errors in the loss.
Malcolm’s best game of the tournament came in a 12-4 elimination game win over Milford. Fortik went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBIs while Helms was 2-for-2 with a home run. Emma Brown was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and struck out four Eagles’ batters to earn the win.
Malcolm finished the season with a 26-11 record. The Clippers say goodbye to five seniors who were part of four state tournament appearances. Two players plan to continue their softball careers at the college level.
Alyssa Fortik has committed to the University of Nebraska-Kearney while Alanea Babb plans to join the Peru State Bobcats next year.
Fortik was the Clippers top hitter this season with a .528 average. She led the team in doubles (14), triples (4) and was second in home runs (6). The shortstop might be best known for her run-saving web gems.
Babb hit .390 with nine doubles and three home runs and was the team’s stolen base leader with 20.
Brown will also be moving on. A warrior in the circle this year, Brown pitched 172 out of the team’s 189 innings. She had 103 strikeouts and finished with a 22-10 record. In her first full-time season in the batting lineup, Brown hit .326 with four home runs.
“Sad to see it end with this group,” Meyer said. “I’m very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach these young women. I’m the lucky one here.”
