FALL SPORTS
C11
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
Close knit group leads NPHS softball Jake Dreilinger / The North Platte Telegraph Tatum Montelongo is among a talented group of North Platte High School softball players this season. That group also includes Abby Orr, Tahjah Botts, Sydnee Barner and Kylee Tilford.
ter where that team’s at or what the opponent is. We kind of don’t come out.” This year was dif- ferent. Maybe it was the hitting of Abby Orr, Tahjzah Botts and Sydney Barner among others. Maybe it was the dominant pitching of Kylee Tilford, who made her first varsity start against Adams Central, and Tatum Montelongo. Either way, North Platte is out to a strong start, going 3-1 and out- scoring opponents 21-6. Other than a shutout loss to Beatrice on Monday, the Bulldogs have been
limiting opponents on defense and tacking on runs on offense. “We definitely have a strong defense and once we get our bats going, we all just can keep hitting for days,” third baseman Ellie Hanson said. That hitting, at least in the first doublehead- er, seems to be a driving force of the team’s suc- cess. When the Bulldogs can put the bat on the ball, good things tend to happen. Like when Botts and Orr smacked home runs in the game against Adams Central. “I think you’re going to
see it a lot this season ... but there’s potential at one through six,” Barner said. “One through six can put it out of here and nobody would be surprised.” In most cases, those six in order are Barner, Aspen Nelson, Orr, Botts, Montelongo and Hanson. Those six have combined for 17 of North Platte’s 26 hits this season. That isn’t to say the fi- nal three players in the lineup don’t contrib- ute. In the four games North Platte has played so far, Tilford, Shelby Yoshida, Emily Winkler, McKenzie Putnam and
Lauren Horne have all seen time in the seventh, eighth and ninth spot and have combined for nine hits. “We are a close-knit group,” Orr said. “A lot of us have played togeth- er since we were younger and I think we’ll do good with the younger (play- ers) too. They look up to us — the older (players).” Pitching has also been a big part of the team this year. North Platte has only gone to two pitchers, Tilford and Montelongo, and both have given solid performances. Across two games,
Tilford allowed 10 hits and three runs scored, while strik- has ing out four batters and walking two. Montelongo pitched a one-hit shut- out against Gering while striking out five, but couldn’t stop Beatrice from putting three runs on the board. She has only allowed four hits this season, and has struck out 12 batters. “Tatum’s a great pitch- er. She does a great job,” Barner said. “She com- manded the circle last year, and I didn’t expect anything different this year.”
By JAKE DREILINGER jake.dreilinger@ nptelegraph.com North Platte soft- ball coach Jeff Barner joked that his team typ- ically plays down to the level of its opponent af- ter the second game of the season-opening dou- bleheader. Usually they have to fight or come from behind to win, if they even get the win. “A lot of times if we do get that first one by run-rule or a pretty con- vincing win, our second one, we battle,” Barner said. “It doesn’t really mat-
Jake Dreilinger / The North Platte Telegraph Abby Orr hits a home run in the Bulldogs’ first doubleheader of the season.
AREA SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
McCook at Lexington Cozad at Southern Valley/Alma Sept. 12 Lexington at Cozad Invite Gothenburg at Twin City Tourney, Scottsbluff Sept. 14 North Platte at North Platte (DH) Sept. 15 Scottsbluff at North Platte (DH) Lexington at Cozad Sept. 17 Holdrege at Gothenburg Sept. 18 Chadron at Chase County Sept. 19 Cozad, Lexington, North Platte Invite Sept. 21 CCV at Gothenburg Sept. 22 McCook at North Platte Lexington at Hastings Cozad at Chase County Gothenburg, Minden at St. Cecillia Sept. 24 Gering, Scottsbluff, North Platte, Chase County, Gothenburg, Cozad at Ogallala Lexington, Souther Valley/Alma at CCV Sept. 26 North Platte at Southeast Tourney Cozad at Adams Central Tourney Gothenburg Tourney Sept. 28 York at Lexington Sept. 29 Gothenburg at North Platte Chase County, Kearney Catholic at Southern Valley/Alma Cozad, Southern, Diller-Odell at Centennial Oct. 1 Lexington at Central Tourney Cozad at Gothenburg Oct. 3 Gretna, Burke at North Platte Chase County, Chadron at Alliance Tri
Aug. 20 Adams Central, Gering at North Platte Aurora at Lexington Aug. 21 Gothenburg at McCook Scottsbluff at Lexington Cozad at Aurora Tourney Aug. 22 Gothenburg at Lexington Invite Aug. 24 North Platte, Norris at McCook (Double Dual) Aug. 25 Adams Central at Lexington Chase County, Minden at Southern Valley/Alma Holdrege at Cozad Aug. 27 North Platte, Skutt, Gross at McCook Northwest at Lexington Gothenburg at Cozad Aug. 28 Alliance, Southern Valley/Alma at Gothenburg Aug. 29 North Platte, Lexington at Lincoln East, Doris Bair Chase County at Scottsbluff (DH) Cozad at Holdrege Tourney Sept. 1 North Platte at Lexington (DH) Sept. 3 Hastings at North Platte (DH) Lexington at Gothenburg Cozad, Minden at Adams Central Sept. 5 North Platte, Gothenburg at McCook Invite Sept. 8 North Platte at St. Cecillia (DH) Holdrege at Lexington Cozad, Aurora at Hastings Sept. 10 North Platte at Southeast (DH) Cozad at McCook Ord at Gothenburg
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