By LIONEL TIPTON
MOUNDRIDGE, Kansas – There was something eerily familiar about the Class 2-1A Regional’s postgame scene Wednesday evening.
On one side of the field, Bluestem, the regional’s top seed, celebrated a State berth after a 12-2 pounding of No. 2 seed Remington.
On the other side, the Broncos encircled coach Lyn Lawler and wondered what they had to do to make the State Tournament after winning 37 games the past two seasons.
Strangely enough, last year it was the Lions who were in a situation similar to Remington’s after a Class 3A regional final loss to Trinity Academy.
That painful 7-3 defeat was Bluestem’s only loss in a 22-1 season and created an insatiable hunger in the Lions to return to State. Bluestem came back to 2-1A this year and finished 3-0 in the Moundridge Regional, winning two games via the mercy rule.
Lions senior pitcher Pilar Cox, who pitched all 17 innings in the regional, said that hunger has started to be fed and the sour taste of last year’s loss is gone.
“I think so,” she said. “We’ve been taking that and just refueling it into anger for the fuel behind it to work every single day, work harder so that we could get to State again.
“It fuels us every day.”
Remington (18-5) was confident it could compete against Bluestem, especially after posting a school-record 19 victories a year ago and nearly matching that total this season.
But the determined Lions flexed their muscles from the very first batter, junior catcher Lillie Husman.
Husman was 3 for 3, singling in each of the first three innings, then reaching on an error in the fifth and scoring the run that triggered the mercy rule on a wild pitch.
She said winning by the mercy rule surprised her.
“I didn’t think it would end that early,” Husman said. “I’m happy it did. We didn’t give people some heart attacks like we did (Tuesday in a 7-6 walkoff triumph over Sedgwick). We love our seniors, and we wanted to play for them. We’re not ready for them to go yet.”
Husman said the leadoff role is new to her, but she has thrived thereand had some success.
“When I found out (she was hitting leadoff), I really did embrace it, and it starts the lineup good and strings things together,” she said.
These Lions (20-3) said they were definitely ready to be rid of the lingering bad taste of 2024 – especially seniors Pilar, Jewel Carleton and Samiya Worrell.
First-year Bluestem coach Ashtyn Jurging – a former Lions player who also played at Allen County Community College – found a well-stocked cupboard of players for her initial head-coaching job.
Despite two players transferring, there was enough talent remaining to mold into a cohesive unit that has flourished all season.
Jurging knows what the State Tournament entails. She played on the 2018 Lions team that finished third with a 20-6 record. Their only loss at State was to eventual 2-1A champion Wabaunsee.
She said that playing a team with a record like Remington’s forced the Lions to up their game.
“I think with some of the teams that we’ve played this year, they’vereally challenged us and made us play the best possible ball that we can play,” Jurging said. “I told them before the game, ‘We’ve made it this far; we might as well win.’
“Every single person was up in the dugout; not one person put their head down the entire game.”
Cox capped her regional performance with some record-setting games, Jurging said.
“(Tuesday) night, she broke the career strikeout record, which was mine previously,” Jurging said. “(Wednesday) night, she broke the single-season strikeout record in the third inning. So, she has done phenomenal for us.
“This is the best regional outing that I have ever seen, and this is the best outing from her that I’ve seen.”
On top of that, she was able to help herself with the 3 RBI.
“That girl is hungry,” Jurging said. “She came up to my assistant, she had a twitch in her eye, and she said, ‘I’m ready to pitch. Let’s get this thing going.’
“She was definitely the hungriest out of all of them.”
Once the seniors go, Jurging said she thinks there will be enough talent to remain competitive.
“I fully believe so,” she said. “We’ve got a couple of arms coming up next year that I’ve been working with in the off-season. As long as they’re willing to put in the work, we can make this run next year.”
A change in KSHSAA classification, a change in coaches led to a change in outcome for Bluestem. Jurging said she thinks the strong Remington team could eventually become an intracounty rival.
“There’s a good little county rivalry brewing; I can feel it,” Jurging said.
Despite being the No. 2 seed, Remington had to defeat third seed and tournament host Moundridge on its field to make the final.
“We knew we could, and the girls wanted it, and (Wednesday) we just fell short,” Lyn Lawler said. “We just made some mistakes.
“These girls can do it; I’m very proud of them. They’ve overcome a lot of things outside of softball, and softball was their therapy.
“We’re thankful for it. Maybe we can surprise some people next year.”
Graduation will cause next season to be a rebuilding year, Lawler said.
“We’re going to start over, and we’re going to build it back up to where are now,” she said.
Bluestem batted at least six players in each of the first four innings, and no one made an out in the fifth before the game ended.
Cox was a force in the circle and at the plate. She gave up just two hits in five innings and struck out nine, but also had two hits and three RBI offensively. She drove in her batterymate, Husman, twice on the day, on a first-inning groundout and a second-inning single.
With State games yet to play, Cox will leave Bluestem holding the school record for strikeouts in a season as well as in a career.
“I’ve been working for the career one all four years,” Cox said. “The season (record) is one I’ve been determined to go and get after it.
“My sophomore year, I almost had it; junior year, I really wasn’t really that close because we didn’t go far in Regionals.
“Thie year, I worked my butt off (and) I’m so happy that I have it now.”
She said she probably will be able to hit as well as pitch next season at Neosho.
Broncos junior pitcher Cambree Lawler gave up all 12 runs, but only seven of them were earned. Remington appeared to suffer from nerves all day and committed five errors in the game, many of which led to Bluestem runs.
Unlike Tuesday night against Sedgwick, Lions senior center fielder Jewel Carleton didn’t have to make any diving catches. All but two Lions in the batting order scored runs, led by three from Husman and two each from Carleton, junior left fielder Evyn Neal and sophomore shortstop Elianna Pierson.
As a senior, getting back to State is extremely gratifying, Carleton said.
“It’s a surreal feeling, really,” she said. “I’m glad we were able to get the win.”
Going forward, Carleton said that focus will be a key.
“We just need to keep our heads and realize it’s not the end,” she said. “It’s ‘Win or go home’ and we just need to keep our energy up and play our game.”
Remington will lose six important seniors to graduation, but Lawler remained hopeful that the Broncos could make another try at a State spot next season.
“They’re going to be hard to replace,” she said.
Lawler’s main pitcher, her daughter Cambree, has already committed to play softball at Tabor College.
Upsets in other 2-1A regionals also helped to clear a path for State seeding, and it is believed the Lions will have the No. 3 seed when play starts in Pratt on May 29-30.
Class 2-1A Regional
At Moundridge
Final
Bluestem 12, Remington 2 (five innings)
Remington 000 20 – 2 2 5
Bluestem 342 21 – 12 7 2
W – Cox. L – Lawler.
