Thursday

Blue Jays Softball

Game One

Dickinson 13 Jamestown 1  8 innings

Game Two

Dickinson 11  Jamestown 7 innings

 

defeating the Jays 13-1in eight innings and 11-3 in seven. The defending state champs improved to 2-0 in the WDA and 8-0 overall.

The Jays are now 6-2 in the West Region and 6-4 overall. All four losses have come against the Midgets. Jamestown’s next test is slated for Tuesday against Bismarck High. The game is scheduled
to begin at 4:30 p.m. at Jamestown’s Trapper Field.

The Blue Jays struggled to put runs on the board and had a tough time defensively containing Dickinson, giving up 13 runs in game No. 1 of the impromptu conference matchup.

Dickinson scored on a double by Taya Hopfauf in the first inning and a stolen base by Morgan Koffler in the second inning. A four-run inning in the fifth, followed by a combined six runs in the sixth and seventh frames was too much to handle for Soulis and the Jays.

Mataya Mortensen got the start for Dickinson. The pitcher allowed three hits and zero runs over two innings, striking out one. Jahner controlled the mound the next five innings. The sophomore allowed six hits, one run, walked four and struck out five.

Katie Falk led things off in the circle for the Blue Jays. The junior lasted seven innings, allowing 19 hits and 12 runs. Falk retired three batters. Jenna Decker went 0.800 against Falk, leading the Midgets with four hits at five at-bats.

Jamestown had nine hits in the game. Katie Trumbauer, Falk and Ella Falk put multiple hits on the books, with Trumbauer and Falk leading the Jays each tallying three.

Falk was responsible for the Blue Jays’ one run, scoring on a Makenna Nold RBI, groundout.

While the outcome Thursday was not the outcome Soulis or the Jays hoped for, the fact they found a way to cross a conference game off of the schedule is an accomplishment in itself.

“Just like a play that didn’t go our way in a game — we can’t control 8, 9, or 10 inches of snow,” Soulis said. “We can control how we respond and react to it. This group of girls we’ve got playing for us has done a really good job of staying focused and wanting to play.”

Soulis said the Blue Jays’ love for the game of softball has done wonders in keeping them focused and ready for any game that gets thrown their way.

“We have to be flexible and know that things change on a daily or hourly basis,” Soulis said. “Before the storm, we were just getting back from our Williston, Watford City trip and I sent a text out Sunday night to the girls saying: ‘Hey we’re not playing on Tuesday, we’re playing Monday.’

“I got 14 thumbs up in response to that text.”

While the snow is undoubtedly putting things in a holding pattern in terms of West Region games, it’s not anything that Soulis and the Jays are not accustomed to.

“One year, we went five to six weeks in the gym without going outside,” Soulis said. “We’ve had worse — we’ll just make it work.