Back: Assistant Coach Mick Klein, Mikaela Klein, Tara Oltman, Emily Walker, Jenny Menke, Jazmine Klein, Head Coach Rick Buerer

Middle: Cassy Hunt, Natasha Chitty, Tristian Birch, Amber Schacher, Megan Huffman

Front: Dani Harders, Taylor May, Tasha Birch, Katherine Nickel, Devon Klein

Flames of Nebraska 2005 Girls 18 and Under Softball team, coached by Rick Buerer and Assisted by Mick Klein gets an early jump on qualifying for 2005 USSSA World Tourney in Kansas City to be held July 24-31, 2005. The Flames win the USSSA Worth NIT 2005 World Qualifier this past weekend held in Kansas City, MO. This is the first time the Flames have played in a fall qualifier.

The Flames started off on the wrong foot dropping the lone pool game 3-6 to the KC Eclipse who went undefeated up to the championship game. Then the Flames lost their first game of the double elimination tournament to the Belger Bulldogs from the Kansas City, MO 1-3 in the Saturday night cap. So a long fight back through the losers bracket was ahead of the Flames to avoid elimination. The Flames lone run came from an in the park homer by Kat Nickel. The Flames come back Sunday by eliminated the Missouri Twisters 1-0 in a 8^th inning International Tie Breaker extra innings, which puts a runner on second for both teams to start the inning. Tasha Birch hits a triple which scores Cassy Hunt for the win. Next the Flames eliminate the Belger Bulldogs in a very good re-match by a score of 3-1 again going in to extra innings with the international tie breaker. Emily Walker hits an in the park homer in the 4^th to tie up the game at ones. Then in the tie breaker Mikaela Klein hits a double to drive in Jenny Menke, before Tara Oltman hits a single and moves Klein to 3^rd, and Emily Walker hits a double to drive in Klein, the Flames then hold the Bulldogs scoreless in the bottom of the eight for the win. This moves the Flames to the first game of the championship against the KC Eclipse, which the Flames will have to beat the Eclispe twice to take home the gold. The Flames again go in to extra innings and winning the international tie breaker in the bottom of the eight after a regulation score of 0-0. Walker sacrifice bunts Hunt to third base, the Birch gets on board with a base hit bunt, steals 2^nd on the next pitch when Dani Harders hits for a base hit scoring Hunt for the winning run. Now both teams have one loss and the final game will decide the champion. The Flames bat first and 3^rd basemen Menke leads off with a double, while Klein sacrifice bunts Menke to third, Oltman then hits in Menke with a double which is followed by Walker’s double to hit in courtesy runner Hunt for Oltman, to score the second run in the top half of the first inning. The Eclispe answer with one run in the bottom of the first, and great pitching by Oltman and outstanding defense allow the Flames to hold them scoreless for the rest of the game and on for the 2-1 victory and qualifying championship.

This currently ranks the Tri-city based area team of Kearney, Hastings, Grand Island 3^rd in the USSSA national power ratings poll. The Flames travel to Kansas City next weekend to play in their second 2005 World Qualifier to try to maintain or better their national ranking.

This is the 6^th year in a row that the Flames 18’s have qualified for the World tournament. The Flames have placed between 7^th and 13^th in 4 of the past 5 years at this USSSA World Tournament. The Flames of had thirty-eight high school seniors go through since 1999 and all thirty-eight have had college offers to continue on. The Flames have teams in all youth age groups planned for the 2005 season. The Flames that attended this past weekend include Tristian Birch, Tasha Birch, Natasha Chitty, Dani Harders, Megan Huffman, Cassy Hunt, Mikaela Klein, Taylor May, Jenny Menke, Katherine Nickel, Tara Oltman, Amber Schacher, Emily Walker.