Road to state rolling into McCook

Anticipation is ready to build as the McCook Bison host this week's B-6 district softball tournament at the Jaycees Complex. Games are set to begin Thursday afternoon with the champ advancing into Class B state tournament play next week.

R.B. Headley/McCook Gazette

McCOOK, Neb. — Cross your fingers and pray rain doesn’t wash out what should be a great B-6 district softball tournament this weekend.

The Bison (16-12 record) bring a .402 team batting average, No. 2 seed and high hopes about qualifying for next week’s Class B state tournament.

A quick rundown about the other six teams competing at McCook’s Jaycees Complex.

North Platte (20-16 record) has earned the No. 1 seed and watch out for Jayda Paul, who’s hitting .425 with five home runs and 21 RBIs.

Pitcher Taylar Coleman’s batting .392 and drove home a Bulldog-best 31 runs. She also has 18 of those 20 wins, including a 5-1 victory over McCook earlier this month.

No. 3 Alliance (14-9) is batting .332 as a team according to maxpreps.com.

Senior Grayce Tolsedt (.444, 32 hits) and junior Janaye Shoemaker (.441, 30 hits, three homers) are quite a 1-2 punch for these Bulldogs.

No. 4 Gering (14-13) owns an early-season win against the Bison. Another team called Bulldogs feature seven seniors looking for their own state tourney run.

Not many details were obtained about No. 5 Gothenburg (12-17), No. 6 Cozad (10-19) or No. 7 Scottsbluff (10-20).

McCook has defeated all three of these teams by more than 10 runs per contest.

The complete rundown of B-6 district softball games at McCook’s Jaycees Complex with a Class B state tourney spot to be decided:

Thursday

Game 1: No. 4 Gering vs. No. 5 Gothenburg, 1:30 p.m., SE diamond.

Game 2: No. 5 Alliance vs. No. 6 Cozad, 1:30 p.m. on SW diamond.

Game 3: No. 2 McCook vs. No. 7 Scottsbluff, 3:30 p.m. on SE.

Game 4: No. 1 North Platte vs. Gering-Gothenburg winner, 3:30 p.m. on SW.

Game 5: Winners of Games 2 and 3, 5:30 p.m. on SE. Game 6: Losers of Games 2 and 3, 5:30 p.m. on SW.

Game 7: Losers of Games 1 and 5, 7:30 p.m. on SE. Game 8: Loser of Game 4 vs. Game 6 winner, 7:30 p.m. on SW.

Friday

Game 9: Battle of unbeatens: Winners from Games 4 and 5, 10 a.m. on SE. Game 10: Winners of Games 7 and 8, 10 a.m. on SW.

Game 11: Winner of Game 10 vs. loser of Game 9, noon on SE.

Game 12: First championship game. Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 winner, 2 p.m., on SE.

Game 13: A second title game if Game 11 winner wins Game 12. First pitch is 4 p.m. on same SE diamond.