On Thursday, Aug. 17, the Silver Hawk varsity softball team kicked off the season with a doubleheader in Norfolk, against the Norfolk High School Lady Panthers. With a combined 24 hits on the night, the Hawks came out victorious and started off the season with two big wins, 5-3 and 20-8.
The Hawks continued to dominate their conference with a 10-game win streak over in-city rivals, Lincoln North Star, Pius X and Lincoln Southeast. Taking two losses to the Lincoln East Spartans just two days before the Heartland Athletic Conference (HAC) Tournament, the Hawks battled back. The Hawks made it all the way to the championship game, where they run-ruled the Spartans 8-0.
“Winning HAC gave us a lot of motivation and confidence to go win State,” freshman third baseman Hadley Madson said. “The atmosphere got better throughout the season and we brought more energy to the game.”
The Silver Hawks continued to live by the motto, “leave it all on the field,” a saying created by head coach Mr. Mitch Ohnoutka, and put their hearts into the game. The Hawks hosted their District Tournament at Doris Bair Softball Complex where they lost to Lincoln North Star but brought the energy back in the next game taking a 6-3 victory over the Gators and punching their ticket to State as a number five seed.
“I feel like we were all super close and a lot of us have played together for a long time,” senior shortstop Kennadi Williams said. “We trusted each other.”
The Hawks started off day one of State with a 7-3 win over the Spartans, thanks to a two-run home run by Madson. They then defeated the Gretna Dragons, who came into the tournament with only two losses, 7-2. The Silver Hawks clinched a spot in the semifinals against Papillion La-Vista, but failed to reach their goal of a trip to the State Championship in Omaha, when they suffered two losses to the Monarchs 2-5 and 7-8 and concluded their season.
“This season has been the best season yet. It was special to see how far we could make it,” senior pitcher Alexis Bradley said. “Everyone came together as a team to get us there, not just one person. Pitching, defense and hitting all connected to get us far.”
The Hawks finished the season with a record of 28-12.
