North Bend Eagle

 

 

Jensen sets strikeout mark

by Nathan Arneal
published 9/6/06

Put it this way. Of the 27 Boone Central batters Megan Jensen faced last Thursday, 10 of them didn’t strike out.

Jensen, a junior, set a new school record by striking out 17 batters as the North Bend-Scribner-Snyder softball team squeezed out a 2-1 win over Boone Central.

Jensen came out of the gate smoking. After Boone Central’s Paige Kolm grounded out to first to open the game, Jensen proceeded to strike out the next seven batters she faced.

However, Jensen wasn’t the only one putting on a commanding performance in the circle. Boone Central’s Dyanna Salber was equally masterful, never allowing the Tigers to muster enough offense to get comfortable.

“We were a little stagnant on offense tonight,” coach Dan Nelson said. “I credit their pitcher for doing a great job of keeping us off balance. She kept the ball around the plate and kept challenging us. Unfortunately, we didn’t answer the challenge.”

Third baseman Sarah Haas provided almost all the offense for the Tigers, as she was the only Tiger hitter to get a hit off Salber with singles in the second and fourth innings. Haas also scored both NBC-SS runs, thanks in part to fielding errors on behalf of the Cardinals.

With the Tigers holding a 2-0 lead, Boone Central managed its first hit off Jensen in the bottom of the fourth inning when a Cardinal batter reached on a slap bunt. However, she was stranded on base as Jensen stuck out the side.

The score remained unchanged through the bottom of the seventh inning when the Cardinals mounted their first serious challenge of the game.
Salber opened the inning by becoming the second BC batter to get a hit off Jensen. After Jensen struck out Danielle Zaruba, Emily Wells scored Salber with a triple. Wells then made the second out at home plate when she tried to score on a roller to the pitcher.

Two fielder’s choices and a single by Jennifer Berer then loaded the bases with two outs and the Cardinals were threatening to steal the game. Jensen had enough, though, and recorded her 17th strikeout to end the game.

Despite being out hit 4-2, the Tigers escaped with the 2-1 victory.
Jensen’s 17 strikeouts breaks a record she and teammate Samantha Tienken held with 13 stikeous in a game.

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