First wins

Apparently it takes more than a broken back to keep long-time Turkey Valley coach Frank Wilson away from the softball diamond.
He suffered that injury as he fell while putting up a net for the batting cage this spring. But while Justin Izer has taken over as assistant to head coach Junior Hackman, Wilson was there when the Trojan girls recorded their double win over a 3-2 West Central team Monday.
“The day the doctor told him he could go back to the diamond,” said wife Karen, “I’d say it was, oh, maybe 20 minutes later and he was there.”
So when pitcher Josie Weber was on the mound during the first-game, 7-5 win over the Blue Devils, Wilson took up a spot along the sideline and implored Weber to “shoot ‘em the dark one.”
Hackman, standing nearby, just smiled and shook his head, and whether or not Weber heard — though it would be hard not to — she did just that on numerous occasions, striking out seven while recording her first varsity win.
Turkey Valley led much of the game, but never had what you would call a commanding lead. Jaedyn Winter doubled and scored in the first and added another double in the third, sandwiched in between a Kim Fischer single and an Emily Busta double that drove in both runners.
For the full story, please see the June 8 Tribune.