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Bison go triples-crazy to take down 22-win Hawkettes
McCOOK, Neb. — The first big decision on Thursday let everyone know McCook’s girls are ready for some intense post-season softball.
Plus junior Danika Havlicek definitely isn’t snoozing or snacking during weight lifting.
“It made me a little bit nervous...should I drag (bunt) or hit away,” the speedy pitcher/No. 2 batter explained about her first at-bat vs. 22-5 Hastings St. Cecilia.
The Hawkette center fielder had made her decision to play very, very shallow...
BAD choice!
Boom went the Danika blast soaring far beyond a lot of birds if any flew into the vicinity.
Havlicek then unleashed her track speed like a lot these Bison diamond stars and easily finished her own triple.
She soon reached home for a 2-0 lead, and McCook really never looked back during this 10-6 final home victory.
The Bison completed a winning regular season — McCook’s first since making a Class B state tournament run in 2017.
The Bison knocked off No. 1-seed Elkhorn South at that tourney with current assistant coach Cassiddy Beebe helping lead that victory.
McCook’s current team also showed no hangover from falling just short of hosting the B-9 subdistrict Monday.
The Bison are seeded No. 2 and will travel to Kearney’s Patriot Park.
They can repeat as B-9 champions if they defeat Highway 6 (Holdrege-Adams Central) and then either No. 1 Kearney Catholic or No. 4 winless Lexington.
All these opponents better beware of Bison.
“I think we are good enough team we can win anywhere,” junior center fielder Malia Hilker said.
“Our team is hitting the ball real well right now,” Mo added. “Inside, outside. We make sure we can hit everything.”
St. Cecilia (22-6 record) did briefly catch the Bison, 2-2, but it only led to more Havlicek-Hilker heroics.
With her second at-bat, Danika decided to bunt and — sure enough — she beat the Hawkette throw rather easily for a base hit.
Now it was old Mo’s turn to blast that big hit far beyond the same center field’s reach.
Nothing dramatic happened when she reached third and gave McCook a 3-2 lead.
However, the next play proved this Hilker remark perfectly...
“No matter the adversity, we can overcome it,” she said.
Bison teammate Roslyn Wiemers conquers many challenges from her catcher position, shaking off a nasty foul tip Thursday night.
Wiemers used her own bat to hit a grounder with Hilker on base...and suddenly the game turned into a “pickle.”
“My goal was to make sure Roslyn was safe at first,” Hilker explained about trying to draw attention between third base and home.
Remember, this is a catcher running and — oh my — Mo drew all the Hawkettes’ attention.
She seemed caught in a rundown to be inevitably tagged out — leaving McCook’s lead at one run.
Pooey with that. Hilker turned on her wheels full speed into home.
“I realized this girl (catcher) didn’t have the ball,” Mo explained. “So I stepped around her and dove into home.”
Yet the drama still wasn’t done thanks to that nearest umpire.
“I was standing there thinking ‘I don’t what is going on’,” Hilker said. “Then somebody said bo back and touch home.”
Both the tag and runner touching home apparently had been missed.
Hilker reversed course and tiptoed back to step on home before the Hawkettes could make another tag try.
Thankfully for the home fans, St. Cecilia made most of Thursday’s remaining miscues.
Havlicek’s next at-bat was a sacrifice fly that scored junior Sydney Hodgson, who had doubled to remain of McCook’s hottest late-season hitters.
Slightly breezy conditions then turned pop flies into adventures for the Hawkettes.
Junior Briley Morgan’s looper to the second baseman was dropped and Gillen motored home again to make it 6-2.
When those visitors closed within 6-5, junior Dani Johnson’s two-out walk set up a whole flurry of dropped pops.
Hodgson jolted another ball into center, but it stayed up long enough for an easy catch...which flicked off the glove instead.
Johnson scored all the way from first to make it McCook 7, Hawkettes 5 scored on a wild pitch, but then another Havlicek fly was also dropped.
Gillen — who walked — scored again to make it 9-5.
Havlicek sped into second and one more fielding error allowed her to make it 10-5 through five innings.
Morgan had already relieved winning pitcher Havlicek after Danika worked 4 1/3 innings.
The Hawkettes plated more run, plus they really threatened with two runs on base in that seventh frame.
However, Morgan reached back to throw “gas” and strike out that final batter.
“We fought hard. It was a good game I think,” Havlicek said. “If we play like tonight, we should be in good shape.”
“We’ve got to come out strong and stay strong through every inning,” Hilker added while looking ahead to that B-9 subdistrict on Monday in Kearney. “Kind of like we did tonight.”
The Bison finished a home schedule where they went 8-2 at McCook’s Jaycees Park this fall. Their only defeats were to North Platte and earlier vs. Gering in the Bison Invite on Sept. 2.
Thursday featured some super student support with several male athletes following the Bison dugout cheers.
“We loved to see our fans supporting us. They were a little lost (on some cheers),” Havlicek and Hilker agreed. “But it was good to see them here.”
McCook’s opening B-9 game at Patriot Park is set for 4:45 p.m. Championship game at approximately 6:30.