Yuma County Softball is headed to the postseason for the third consecutive year.
YCS reached the 3A 32-team state tournament as the 26th seed, finishing the regular season 13-10 and winning the 3A Lower Platte with a 6-0 record.
The Yuma County girls are at Site 7 on Saturday. They will play seventh-seed Lyons, 17-5, at 10 a.m. Lamar, the 10th seed, then will play 23rd-seed Valley, with the winners meeting at approximately 2:30 p.m. The survivor will advance to the quarterfinals next week in Aurora.
YCS closed out the regular season last Thursday with a 21-8, 19-7 sweep at Burlington.
The first game saw YCS build an 8-0 lead through its first three at-bats. However, Burlington made it interesting by plating five runs in the bottom of the third.
YCS just kept coming, though, scoring 13 more runs, including six in the seventh.
Yuma County recorded 14 hits, including five doubles. Lauren Gdanitz had four hits with a double, three RBI and one run scored, Priscylla White three hits with a double, four RBI and two runs, Danyelle Davis two doubles, one RBI and four runs, Autumn Maggard a double and one RBI, Ellie Oestman one hit and three runs, Gemma Oestman one hit and three runs, Jillian ridnour one hit, one RBI and two runs, Clara Oestman one hit and three runs, and London King one run.
Davis earned the pitching win, allowing eight runs on 11 hits and four walks, but striking out seven. The defense was solid with just two errors.
There was plenty of offense in the first two innings of the nightcap. Yuma led 8-7 but then scored 11 unanswered runs to finish the game, putting the finishing touches on the co-op program’s first league title.
YCS bats again were hit with 16 hits, including three doubles and one triple. Maggard had four hits with a double and two RBI, C. Oestman three hits with a triple, one RBI and two runs, Gdanitz three hits with one RBI and two runs, Davis two hits with one RBI and two runs, Ridnour a double, one RBI and two runs, Kaylee Aguilar a double, one RBI and one run, Isabel Oestman one hit, one RBI and one run, E. Oestman two runs, G. Oestman one hit, one RBI and three runs, Ellie Jeurink one RBI, White two runs, and King two runs.
White got the pitching win. She struck out eight and walked just one, allowing seven runs, six earned, on eight hits in seven innings.