By LIONEL TIPTON

LEON, Kansas – After winning by mercy rule in its opening game Friday, Bluestem showed it could overcome adversity and is just one victory from the Class 2-1A State Softball Tournament.

The Lions had taken a 6-0 lead after five innings, only to see Sedgwick rally to tie the score with a six-run sixth inning.

“I was scared,” sophomore Dani Orpen said. “I thought we were going to lose.”

So was her coach.

“I got scared for a little bit,” Bluestem coach Ashtyn Jurging said. “As a first-year coach, my dream is to go to the championship of regionals my first year.

“That one inning where things kind of snowballed, we got scared but we kind of pulled it together, able to adjust, able to get that last out in that inning. Then able to come back and hit.”

But Bluestem – despite being retired in order in the bottom of the sixth, escaped a rocky seventh inning and pulled out a walkoff 7-6 victory in the bottom of the seventh, putting the Lions one triumph away from a spot in the State Tournament.

A year ago, Bluestem was in Class 3A and advanced to the regional final at Trinity Academy but fell to the Knights, 7-3.

Coming so close has given the Lions plenty of incentive this season under Jurging, as well as a return to 2-1A.

Jurging said that having players who went through that experience last year has been important for her.

“It’s definitely helped raise my confidence as a coach a little bit,” she said. “I’ve been able to be less stressed about certain aspects of the game.

“I can trust my catcher to call pitches, because she knows our pitcher; I know where my outfielders are comfortable in the outfield; I know how we mesh together and how we’re able to adjust.

“This year, they’re hungry, and they’re ready to dominate and make a statement once again.”

Jurging is a 2018 Bluestem graduate and was a member of the softball team that finished third at State.

Wednesday’s regional final is at Moundridge, but instead of facing the Wildcats on their home field, Bluestem (19-3) will take on another Butler County school in the final.

Remington (18-4) eliminated Moundridge, 3-2, in its semifinal, and the Broncos and Lions will face off at Moundridge for the spot at State.

In Tuesday’s regional semifinal, Bluestem scored 21 runs and 21 hits in the two games, and senior pitcher Pilar Cox pitched all 12 innings, finishing with 27 strikeouts in the two games. She got the first out in the second game with a strikeout as well as the final out in the seventh, preserving the tie and setting the stage for Bluestem’s winning rally.

When the Lions’ opponent had a runner on base, she managed to pitch out of it, usually through the strikeout – 19 of which were swinging.

Cox, who will play softball at Neosho Community College next year, also helped her cause at the plate. She had three hits in the two games, scored four runs and drove in six – five of those in the day’s opener, a 14-1 triumph over Canton-Galva that only went five innings.

“My curve and my screw were definitely helping me a lot (in the second) game,” Cox said. “Curveball was working really well on the outside, then I would jam them with the inside pitch. That would just throw them off, and I think that worked really well for today.”

At the plate, Orpen led the way, going 6 for 6 in the doubleheader, scoring four runs and driving in five. Among her hits was a double and an exciting inside-the-park home run in the nightcap.

Just standard procedure for Orpen, Jurging said.

“For her, yes,” Jurging said. “(Orpen) and Lillie (Husman) have been back and forth all season for highest batting average. I believe both of them are currently batting over .500 on the season.”

But there were plenty of heroes for Bluestem.

Center fielder Jewel Carleton, a senior, made the play of the day in the second game. After Sedgwick had tied the Lions with its six-run sixth, Carleton made a diving grab on Mady Evans’ sinking liner in the seventh, then fired to first baseman Lola Guy to double off Gabi Petersen, who took off for second because she thought the ball would fall in.

Cardinals coach Shannon Murphy vehemently argued that Carleton had trapped the ball and that both runners should be safe, but ultimately the umpires ruled that Carleton’s catch was legitimate.

“I think whichever way it would have gone would have determined the outcome of the game for us,” Jurging said. “In the huddle after the game, she said, ‘That was the play of my life. If I die tomorrow, I’ll be happy.’ ”

Just following her coach’s instructions.

“I told (the team) as we were going out for that (seventh) inning, ‘Diving bodies. Every single pitch. We can’t let anything get past us. Sacrifice your body. Survive and advance.’

“And she did exactly that for us. I’m very proud of her.”

Carleton said she knew she had to get to the sinking fly ball.

“They have a runner on first, and it’s a tie game,” she said. “If I don’t catch this, they’re going to score (or) at least have runners in scoring position. Basically, I just thought I have to make the play and gave it everything I had.”

She was positive about the catch.

“I knew I caught it,” Carleton said. “I know their coach was mad, but I caught it.”

Having dodged a bullet, Bluestem came to the plate in the bottom of the inning and managed to score the deciding run, fueled by Carleton’s catch.

Bluestem catcher and leadoff hitter Lillie Husman began the rally with a triple to deep left field. Junior Evyn Neal followed with a high fly ball on a 1-1 pitch that bounded off the left fielder’s glove for an RBI single, and the Lions finally could celebrate.

Of course, there is still one more step to go with Wednesday’s regional final, but after surrendering the lead in an inning where everything seemed to go south, the Lions were definitely in a celebratory mood Tuesday.

Husman’s triple was her third hit of the game and fifth in the doubleheader.

Carleton, who will play softball next year for Seward Community College, also tripled in the second game, scoring the final run in a three-run fifth on Orpen’s double. She also singled in the second and scored on Orpen’s homer.

When things began to unravel in the Sedgwick sixth – six of seven hitters had consecutive singles, followed by a walk – Cox said the Lions had to focus on playing one inning at a time.

Carleton’s catch ignited the entire team, Cox said.

“That fired up everybody,” she said. “We were so alive after that. I mean, we won the game right after that. We were so excited to see her do that. All of our teammates, we love each other (and) love to see each other succeed, and that was just another way of showing love.”

Sedgwick’s tying rally required some adjustments, Cox said.

“It was just a heap of momentum on their side,” Cox said. “When we got the idea of what they were trying to do with it, we shut it down.

“We took our momentum back and ended the game with that.”

Falling short last year has solidified the team’s effort, Cox said.

“We knew we could do better last year at regionals,” she said. “We came back this year (and said) ‘That’s our goal. We are going to win regionals this year.’ It was tough for us last year, but that has been our main goal, and we’ve been working toward that every single day.

“We’re getting closer,. I think we have it if we have our focus that we had (Tuesday), and I’m really excited to see what (Wednesday) looks like.”

What’s more, she said she’s ready to go again in the regional final.

“My arm’s ready,” Cox said. “It’s always ready.”

Carleton said it’s nice to return to Class 2-1A.

“Back where we started, because my freshman and sophomore year, we were in 2-1A,” she said. “We moved to 3A, and that was a little bit rough.”

Class 2-1A Regional

At Bluestem

First round

Bluestem 14, Canton-Galva 1

Canton-Galva 001 00 – 1 4 6

Bluestem 010 2(11) – 14 9 1

W – Cox. L – Fenstermaker. 3B – J. Orth (C-G). 2B – Husman (Blue).

Regional semifinal

Bluestem 7, Sedgwick 6

Sedgwick 000 006 0 – 6 9 2

Bluestem 030 030 1 – 7 12 4

W – Cox. L – Williams. HR – Orpen (Blue). 3B – Davis (Sedg); Carleton, Husman (Blue). 2B – Burns, Evans (Sedg); Orpen (Blue).