After several close calls, Lakeview finally captures the Class C championship

OMAHA - After coming up short in its previous eight state tournaments, the Lakeview softball team was forced to wait a little while longer for its first championship.

But once they got their hands on the trophy after the ninth inning, the extra waiting was well worth it.

Liz Mohrmann set off a bottled-up celebration when she fielded a ground ball and threw to Jenna Alswager at first base for the final out to give Lakeview the Class C championship in an extra-inning 7-5 win over the Yutan/Mead at the Seymour Smith Softball Complex Friday night.

“We had some close calls in the past,” Lakeview coach Dave Prokesh said. “It feels so good to finally get one. You wonder sometime if you are ever going to get one, but this group did. If you would have told me this at the beginning of the year, I wouldn't have known what to say. The kids made believers out of us and came through. Hopefully, this can motivate other sports in the program and set the bar high for them as well, and we'll all benefit from that.”

Previously, the Viqueens had chances to win a title, but fell short and finished second in 2002 and third two other times.

Telegram Super Senior Brittany Schuller said it was good to finally get a softball state championship for the school.

“It's been frustrating always getting runner-up or whatever,” Schuller said. “But this year, many people didn't have faith of us getting to state this year. We got there and proved them wrong by winning this. This is just amazing and I feel so happy. I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight.”

The championship game was a rematch of the second game of the state tournament, a 1-0 Lakeview win, but the second meeting wasn't even close to resembling the first. Schuller gave up 13 hits while Jessie Thomas gave up 11 and struck out eight Viqueen batters and pitched all nine innings.

Yutan/Mead struck early on the first pitch of the game when Jessie Gayle singled. She scored off a Callina Naylor single.

The Lakeview batting struggled in the early part of the game but scored a run in the fourth inning when Schuller hit a run-batted-in single to score Brooke Groteluschen. Teshia Steuben gave the Viqueens the lead in the sixth on a ground out by Groteluschen.

Yutan/Mead came back after Naylor came home on a single off Kaylea Kult, but couldn't add to its score when Chelsey Heldt was tagged out at home by Groteluschen, who threw to second to get Kult out.

The Lakeview batters continued to get to Thomas in the seventh inning as Stephanie Schmidt started the inning on a double and would scored off of a Macey Gronenthal single. Also, Nicole Sempek brought home Mohrmann on a single. The Patriots put Lakeview's celebration on hold when they scored two runs on three hits with doubles.

Lakeview scored a run in the top of the eighth, but Schuller ran into trouble again as Heldt doubled off her to plate Naylor. Sempek came in relief and got out of the inning with the scored tied.

In the ninth, Thomas started to run out of steam in her third game of the day. Macey Gronenthal reached on a bunt single that got past Thomas and advanced Chyenne Jaster, who started on second base, to third. Mohrmann brought home Jaster on a sacrifice fly to give the Viqueens the lead for good. Also, Gronenthal scored in the inning on a wild pitch.

Prokesh said the Viqueens did a great job of not giving up after Yutan/Mead kept making plays.

“The team showed a great deal of resilience down the stretch,” Prokesh said. “They were put in a couple of positions to win on a couple of occasions. We got a lead we thought we were sitting good. But that's a credit to Yutan/Mead because they are a great hitting team. They stepped up big when they needed to but we made some plays on defense when we needed to and kept answering the bell. It was a heavy-weight championship fight.”

In addition to earning the win on the mound, Sempek led the Viqueens with three hits with a RBI. Schmidt, Gronenthal and Schuller all added two hits.

Prokesh said winning a state championship was a good way for the seniors in Schuller, Mohrmann and Sasha Denton to end their careers.

“They have been winners all the way through,” Prokesh said. “They have been winners on and off the field. They have set the tone for the others and they took this to heart. They really wanted to finish on a good note and there's no better way than winning a state title.”

Lakeview (24-4)000 101 212 -7 112

Yutan/Mead (23-6)100 001 210- 5 13 1

# WP: Nicole Sempek; LP: Jessie Thomas.

# LEADING HITTERS: LV-Nicole Sempek 3-for-4, RBI; Stephanie Schmidt 2-for-4, 2B, run; Macey Gronenthal 2-for-4, run; Brittany Schuller 2-for-4, RBI; Brooke Groteluschen 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, run; Teshia Steuben 1-for-5, run.