BLAIR, Neb. — Blair could do nothing wrong and Ralston could do very little right Tuesday night in a 12-0, three-inning Class B softball blowout.

The top-ranked Bears hit three home runs — one each by Katie Ruwe, Kylie Rome and Presley Glaser — and pitcher Carly Nielsen gave up just two hits to the No. 4 Rams.

Neither Blair coach Jon Small nor Ralston’s Mike Smith expected this kind of game, especially since the two have played so many competitive games against some of the state’s top teams during the first three weeks of the season.

“I’m just in shock,” Smith said. “We weren’t sharp in any aspect of the game. We just have to go back to practice and keep working on the things we need to work on. It just wasn’t there tonight.”

What this game showed is that there’s little room for error against the two-time defending state champions. Glaser took advantage of a Ralston error leading off the bottom of the first, and two batters later, she was touching home plate after Ruwe’s one-out blast to left field.

Two more runs scored that inning before the Bears sent 10 batters to the plate in the second, scoring seven times to take an 11-0 lead.

Blair chased Ralston starter Jenn Ulrich after she faced five batters in the second, but reliever Courtney Hansen didn’t fare much better. Rome, Blair’s freshman shortstop, hit a three-run home run in the second before Glaser hit a solo shot as the first batter in the third inning to end the game.

“This team is very focused,” Small said. “We have a lot of respect for Ralston, just look at their schedule. We knew they had a very good offensive team, so it was important for us to jump on them early because they play so well when they get in front.”

Though the Rams are 7-6, the loss was their first to a Class B school. Ralston is 3-5 against Class A schools, including a 4-1 win over two-time defending Class A state champion Lincoln Southwest and three losses by a total of five runs to Papillion-La Vista and Papillion-La Vista South.

The Bears’ only loss of the season is a 2-1 setback to Papio South.

“With our defense and pitching we’re pretty tough,” Small said. “Defense is our focus at practice because that’s what it takes to win in October.”

Ralston (7-6).........................0 0 0—0 2 2

At Blair (9-1)..................4 7 1—12 9 0

W: Carly Nielsen. L: Jenn Ulrich. 2B: B, Megan Throener. HR: B, Katie Ruwe, Kylie Rome, Presley Glaser.

Contact the writer:

490-9714, alexsdad@mail.com

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