Softball

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- For yet another year, it wasn't Notre Dame's time. A third straight trip to the softball state championships ended in a third straight disappointment, as the Bulldogs made too many mistakes, couldn't solve Monett's speed and fell, 4-1, in the Class 3 championship on Saturday at the Killian Sports Complex...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — It can be hard to read the expression of Notre Dame softball pitcher Hailey Kutz, what with the stoic face and dark glasses. On Friday, on the biggest stage of her young career, Kutz’s pitches told you everything you’d need to know...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — As the Chaffee softball team found itself struggling to generate offense and trailing in the Class 1 state semifinal on Friday afternoon, coach Brian Horrell reminded his team that it had been through this before. Just over a week earlier, in their sectional win over Dora, the Red Devils had figured things out late and rallied...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — It’s the kind of record that ages well, but doesn’t feel so good in the moment. The Kelly softball team fell in its Class 2 state semifinal as Bowling Green rallied in the final two innings for a 7-6 win, sending the Hawks to their state record 12th appearance in the third-place game on Friday at the Killian Softball Complex in Springfield, Missouri...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — After the games were said and done, Kelly softball coach Rhonda Ratledge kept a brave face until the very end. When she finally broke down, it wasn’t because of what her team had failed to accomplish on Friday — losing a pair of games at the Class 2 Softball State Championships in Springfield, Missouri, and settling for fourth place — but what it had done...

BENTON, Mo. -- The six Kelly softball seniors were quiet for a few seconds as the question floated in the air. Then the answers started pouring out, each player adding to the others' responses. "It's like we finally did, like we've been wanting this for four years and finally did," Hunter Bryant said. "It feels really great."...

Just days after Notre Dame softball relied on its pitching to secure a sectional victory, the Bulldogs flipped the script Saturday. On a windy day on a shorter field, Notre Dame slugged its way to a 15-9 win over St. Francis Borgia in a Class 3 quarterfinal in Washington, Missouri. For the third straight season, Notre Dame advances to the final four...

The Kelly softball team is going back to state. In a Class 2 quarterfinal Saturday, the Hawks rolled to a 6-1 win over Ava in Ava, Missouri to advance to the final four for the first time since 2013. "It feels good. It feels really good," Kelly Rhonda Ratledge said. "I'm so excited. This group of seniors haven't been able to go yet. I'm excited for them."...

AVA, Mo. -- The Doniphan softball team's historic playoff run and late-inning magic came to an end. Coming off back-to-back comeback wins in the district tournament, the Donettes rallied again and even put the tying run at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. But the big hits they'd become accustomed to never came in a 9-7 loss to Ava in the MSHSAA Class 2 playoffs Wednesday night...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The Chaffee softball team was down but never out. A drama-filled comeback victory sent Chaffee past Dora with a walkoff winner by junior first baseman Carlie Milz in a Class 1 sectional on Wednesday night at Frisco Park. The Red Devils trailed from the first inning all the way until Milz's final at-bat gave Chaffee the 8-7 victory...

When the final out was recorded, when the one-hitter was finalized, Hailey Kutz's teammates swarmed her. Next to the Notre Dame softball dugout, the Bulldogs jumped up and down in celebration. The freshman pitcher had allowed just two base runners against a lineup featuring two future Division-I players, propelling Notre Dame to a 2-0 win Wednesday over Hillsboro in a Class 3 sectional at Notre Dame Regional High School...

BENTON, Mo. -- Kelly softball has had its taste of disappointment and was in no mood for any more. After reaching and losing the district title game in each of the last three years, the Hawks cleansed their palate of deja vu, downing Saxony Lutheran 11-1 in five innings in the Class 2 District 3 championship game Friday afternoon at Kelly High School...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- The pressure of getting through each of the final three innings in Friday's Class 3 District 1 championship game might've been too much for any other team. But not for Notre Dame. The top-seeded Bulldogs flashed their championship merit by escaping three bases-loaded situations unscathed and held on for a 2-0 win over second-seeded Perryville at Leon's Field...

BENTON, Mo. -- The Saxony Lutheran softball team knew what stood between it and a first-ever shot at a district championship -- a very familiar East Prairie squad. The two teams had played three times this season, with the Crusaders holding a 2-1 edge in a trio of games that featured 60 total runs...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Kylie Wilhite and the Chaffee Red Devils wiggled out of a first-inning jam unscathed and then shut down the defending MSHSAA Class 1 state champions on Thursday. Wilhite tossed a three-hit shutout, Carlie Milz drove in three runs, including the go-ahead hit in the top of the first, as Chaffee beat Van Buren 7-0 in the District 1 championship at Three Rivers College...

The second-seeded Chaffee softball team wasted no time in disposing of third-seeded Neelyville 8-0 on Wednesday to book its spot in the Class 1 District 1 championship at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Bailey Wiseman hit a double to pace the Red Devils, who led 3-0 after the first three innings. Carlie Milz drove in three runs, and Sydney Walker drove in two runs for the Red Devils, who posted four runs in the fourth frame and added an insurance run in the sixth...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- It appeared the game, and Cape Central's season, was over. Down one run with two outs in the seventh inning, senior left fielder Abby Dumey had just flown out to center, and Sikeston began to celebrate its district tournament win. A catcher's interference call, though, gave Central hope...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Chaffee and Van Buren will once again play for the Class 1 District 1 softball title after the teams earned shutout wins Wednesday. The Red Devils dispatched third-seeded Neelyville 8-0 after Van Buren began its state title defense with a 10-0 win in six innings over Naylor at Three Rivers College...

The host Notre Dame cross country teams captured the team championships in both the girls and boys division of the Notre Dame Invitational. Blake Morris was the first runner to cross the finish line with a time of 16 minutes, 25.41 seconds to lead the Bulldogs to victory. On the girls' side, Alaina Baumgart placed first with a time of 20 minutes, 12.53 seconds...

Alex Lovell had her day at the plate. With the bases loaded and the score tied at 8-all in the top of the seventh inning, the Notre Dame softball senior blasted a grand slam to drive in four runs and the Bulldogs held Kelly scoreless in the final inning to come away with a 12-8 victory over the Hawks on the road in Benton, Missouri...

We're no longer teenagers! The Semoball Podcast is back for Episode 20 as we're joined by Southeast Missouri State football wide receiver Tyler McLemore and DAR sports editor Brian Rosener.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Poplar Bluff softball team was in a giving mood Tuesday. After committing four errors in an eight-run fifth inning of a 10-8 loss, the Mules honored their seniors then presented gift bags to the six Kelly seniors at Bobby Strenfel Field...

Tye Huff tossed a no-hitter and Alex Hicks provided all the offense as the Greenville baseball team handed East Carter a 1-0 loss in an Ozark Foothills Conference game on Tuesday. Huff needed 79 pitches to mow down the Redbirds. He struck out six and walked one while throwing 57 pitches for strikes in the win for Greenville (3-9, 1-3 OFC)...

“Juggernaut Jen” Jenna Faith Gibson of Arbyrd, Missouri, threw a perfect game Saturday in the championship of the Crack of the Bat Tournament in Covington, Tennessee. She retired every batter in order, recording five strikeouts, and was aided by stellar defense...

Hannah Landewe nailed seven kills as the Notre Dame volleyball team avoided a scare from Leopold in the second set to get the 25-17, 25-23 win at home. Shelby Bauwens hammered six kills for the Bulldogs (14-6-3) and Brooke Blankenship provided 17 assists. Megan Heisserer tallied 14 digs to pace Notre Dame defensively...

Kelly Ivy threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just one hit in guiding the Kelly softball team to a 9-0 win over Perryville on Wednesday in Benton, Missouri. Ivy walked one batter and didn't record a strikeout. She helped herself at the plate with an RBI...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The Chaffee softball team didn't expect things to be easy against battle-tested Class 3 side Windsor. But the Red Devils jumped on top early, remained aggressive and dropped the visiting Owls 6-2 on Wednesday afternoon in the team's Pink Up breast cancer awareness game at Frisco Park...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- It took an unlikely comeback to erase 14 years of frustration for the Poplar Bluff volleyball team Monday night. The Mules survived five set points in overcoming a 23-15 deficit to take the opening game, then beat defending district champion Farmington for the first time in 21 matches, 26-24, 25-14 at the Senior High Gym...

The Notre Dame softball team posted three consecutive wins on Saturday and downed Parkway South 10-0 in five innings to win the championship of the Jackson Invitational Tournament at the Shawnee Park Sports Complex. Aba Estes hit a triple and drove in two runs to lead the Bulldogs in their championship victory over the Patriots while Alex Lovell added a double and two RBIs...

The Advance volleyball team captured its fifth win in a row, defeating Saxony Lutheran 25-23, 24-26, 25-18 on Thursday at Saxony Lutheran High School. Allie Sprink recorded a double-double to lead the way for the Crusaders, finishing with 15 assists and 15 digs to go along with seven kills. Lexie Barnes also had a double-double for Saxony (12-6), recording 13 kills, 10 assists and eight digs, while Laurel Mueller chipped in 17 digs and five kills...

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the third and Jackson and Notre Dame softball knotted at 1-all, Notre Dame's Alex Lovell stepped to the plate. She delivered a bases-clearing double, smacking the ball into the right-center field gap. That two-bagger gave the Bulldogs a 4-1 lead they didn't relinquish, as they cruised to an 8-1 win over Jackson on Thursday at Notre Dame Regional High School...

The Kelly softball team pounded out 21 hits to secure a 19-3 win over Jefferson in four innings Wednesday in Benton, Missouri. Alyssa Moore finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs to lead the Hawks' offense. The game was a rematch of last year's Class 2 District 3 championship game, which the Blue Jays won 2-0...

The Notre Dame volleyball team overcame a 20-17 deficit in both games to eke out a 25-23, 25-23 conference victory over Poplar Bluff on Tuesday in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Alexa Clark's serve clipped the net and fell in to break a 23-all tie in the first game, while her serve helped the Bulldogs rally in the second game...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Jackson couldn't get the final out of the fourth inning before Poplar Bluff plated four runs Tuesday after the Indians had left the bases loaded. The Mules got five consecutive two-out hits to break a scoreless tie and added two runs the following inning before a five-run sixth in an 11-3 win over Jackson...

Lainey Broussard dished out a whopping 42 assists and had four digs as the Jackson volleyball team had to dig deep but eventually found a way to pull out a three-set squeaker over Park Hills Central -- 25-18, 25-27, 25-23 -- on Monday in Park Hills, Missouri...

Shelby Sievers hit her fourth home run of the season and doubled while Adrienne Stucker struck out a season-high 10 in Poplar Bluff's 13-1 win in five innings Thursday. Audrey Lack was 2 for 2 with three RBIs while Calli Gerber drove in a pair of runs for the Mules (11-4). Brylee Misner had a triple among her two hits, Savannah Hicks and Adrienne Stucker each doubled as seven different batters drove in a run...

NAYLOR -- Chaney Trout and the Neelyville baseball team were perfect Wednesday. Trout struck out 12, threw 56 of 73 pitches for strikes including 17 first-pitch strikes to record his first career perfect game. Trout induced six groundballs and three pop flys to improve to 3-0 on the mound and also tripled in the Tigers' win...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Poplar Bluff’s lone hit turned out to be a nice wedding anniversary gift and all the offense the Mules needed Tuesday. Calli Gerber’s two-out RBI double into the left-field gap lifted Poplar Bluff past Notre Dame 1-0 at Bobby Strenfel Field...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Nik Rowland had a hat trick before halftime Tuesday as the Poplar Bluff soccer team won its home opener 4-0 against Murphysboro (Ill.) at Mules Stadium. Rowland also had an assist on Wyatt Rowland's second-half goal while Juan Ventura, Alex Ketcherside and Daniel Orozco-Lozano each had an assist for the Mules (3-3)...

The Jackson boys soccer team got a first-half goal and held on the rest of the way to grab a 1-0 victory over host Notre Dame in the championship of the Notre Dame Soccer Fest on Saturday evening in Cape Girardeau. It was the second year in a row the Indians (5-0) claimed the event title, and in the process handed the Bulldogs (4-1) their first loss of the year...

Kristen Barwick doubled twice and scored two runs as Notre Dame softball beat Van Buren 8-3 to deal their visiting Bulldogs their first loss of the season in the opening round of pool play at the Notre Dame Softball Fest. Ali Lynch went the distance in the circle to take the win for Notre Dame (7-1). She allowed three earned runs, struck out four and walked two...

Thanks to two second-place finishes, St. Vincent cross country won both the boys and girls team titles in the largest-ever St. Vincent Invitational at Perry Park Center in Perryville, Missouri, on Wednesday. On the boys side, Joseph Baer came in second with a time of 18 minutes, 5 seconds, as the Indians finished 13 points ahead of second-place Steeleville (Ill.). Corin Carroll was second in the girls race, and St. Vincent edged Valle Catholic and Poplar Bluff by five points...

Lexie Barnes posted a double-double with 10 assists and 10 digs to go along with seven kills, as the Saxony Lutheran volleyball team defeated St. Vincent 25-18, 20-25, 25-18 on Tuesday in Perryville, Missouri. Allie Sprink recorded 13 assists and seven kills for Saxony Lutheran (6-1). Macy Morehead finished with 16 digs and five kills, and Laurel Mueller added five kills and nine digs. Ashley Fritsche notched 12 digs to pace the Crusaders defensively...

Olivia Hukel served four aces and dished out five assists, as the Cape Girardeau Central volleyball team defeated Puxico 25-10, 25-19 for its first win of the season Tuesday in Puxico, Missouri. Karly Thomas notched 19 digs and hammered four kills for Central (1-2)...

Saxony Lutheran junior Caleb Cornelius offered up a standout performance as he finished fourth in a field of more than 400 cross country runners at the First to the Finish Kickoff Classic on Saturday in Edwardsville, Illinois. Cornelius ran a 16:40.20 to garner a top-five result, just 11 seconds off the winner, Jackson Stewart of Decatur St. Teresa...

It was a wild final night at the Woodland Invitational volleyball tournament, as the final four matches all went three sets, capped off by the third-seeded host Cardinals pulling off their second upset of the night with a 25-21, 26-28, 25-20 victory over top-seeded Saxony Lutheran for the championship...

A look at games from Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017.

Bridgette Swinford blasted a grand slam to lead the Chaffee softball team to its first win of the season, a 17-6 decision against Jefferson on Thursday in Festus, Missouri. Kylie Wilhite was the winning pitcher and also doubled for Chaffee (1-2). She allowed four earned runs and recorded seven strikeouts and one walk...

One thing good teams do is take advantage of openings, and on Thursday evening, Perryville just left the door cracked open a little too long a little too often. Despite falling into a 3-0 deficit early in the game, Jackson took advantage of Pirate mistakes and rallied for a 13-3 win in six innings at Jackson City Park...

Mules beat visiting Puxico 25-16, 25-16