State softball · Roundup · Classes A, B, C
Gretna, Kearney Catholic claim state softball titles; Class A closes the night
Gretna beats Gretna East 2–1 for Class B, Kearney Catholic defeats Bishop Neumann 3–0 in Class C, and Millard North–Elkhorn South completes championship night.
LINCOLN — Two championships are settled at Bowlin Stadium. Kearney Catholic beat Bishop Neumann 3–0 for the Class C state softball title Monday, and Gretna followed with a 2–1 victory over Gretna East in the Class B final. Both results appear on the NSAA's official tournament brackets.
That leaves the Class A championship between Millard North and Elkhorn South as the final matchup on Monday's schedule, with a scheduled 7 p.m. Central start. Its Game Center carries the current score and status as that game gets underway.
Kearney Catholic finishes a four-win run
The Stars closed their tournament the same way they opened it: with a shutout. Kearney Catholic started with a 10–0 win over Yutan/Mead, beat Hastings St. Cecilia 12–4, then defeated Yutan/Mead again, 6–0, to earn its place in Lincoln.
Monday's 3–0 result against Bishop Neumann completed a 4–0 state tournament. Across those four games, Kearney Catholic scored 31 runs and allowed four. Three of its four victories were shutouts.
Bishop Neumann reached the championship with wins over Fort Calhoun, Ashland-Greenwood and Hastings St. Cecilia. The Cavaliers' 10–2 bracket-final victory Saturday secured the other Class C berth at Bowlin. The Class C bracket preserves the complete path for both finalists.
Gretna wins another close one
For Gretna, a one-run championship decision fit the way its tournament developed. After opening with an 11–6 victory over Skutt Catholic, the Dragons beat Hastings 2–1 and Northwest 4–3. Their final three state tournament victories all came by a single run.
Gretna East arrived in the final after navigating an extra Saturday game. Hastings won their first bracket-final meeting 5–3, but the Griffins answered with a 5–3 win in the deciding game. Monday, Gretna prevailed in the matchup that determined the state champion.
See the Class B championship Game Center and complete Class B bracket for the result and earlier rounds.
Follow the final game
Millard North and Elkhorn South advanced through Saturday's Class A bracket finals. Millard North beat Lincoln Southwest 12–3, while Elkhorn South defeated Millard West 10–6. Their championship result will appear on the same Class A bracket and Game Center rather than at a replacement URL.
Find live scores and all three championship results on NEBPrepsLive's state softball hub. This report covers the verified Class B and C finals; individual championship statistics and editorial awards await current, validated box scores.
Sources: NSAA's official Class C bracket, Class B bracket and Class A bracket, checked Monday evening, Oct. 19. Pitching lines, scoring plays and the Class B championship inning count are not inferred from the score feed.
