Softball Recap: Grand Island Comes Up Short

Grand Island had lost four straight on the road, but on Wednesday they dropped down to 8-22 to make it five. They came up short against the Bellevue East Chieftains, falling 9-1. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Islanders of the 2-1 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in September of 2023.

Grand Island saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aysha Gawrych, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.

As for Bellevue East, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 22-9. Nine seems to be a good number for them as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.

On Bellevue East's side, Audrina Urwin and Alisha Mcmurtry made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Urwin didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Mcmurtry struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in ten consecutive appearances. At bat, Urwin went 2-for-4 with one run and one double, while Mcmurtry went 2-for-4 with one home run and two runs. That's the most runs Mcmurtry has posted since back in September.

In other batting news, Bellevue East let Cota Barmore and Ariana Wells run wild. Barmore went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, two RBI, and one double, while Wells went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those three RBI gave Wells a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Marcene Sutter, who went 2-for-3 with one triple and two RBI.

Grand Island wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next contest, a 9-8 loss against Bellevue West on the 8th. As for Bellevue East, they have also already played their next game, a 3-0 victory against Kearney on the 8th.