Blog

By Jim Wieners

Hazelwood West and Trinity Catholic High School Softball teams both easily won district titles as both successfully repeated from last year.

Hazelwood West easily won Class Four, District Six defeating Riverview Gardens, 14-1, and tournament host McCluer North, 10-1. Both games were called in the fifth inning due to the 10-run rule although the Wildcats were leading McCluer North by nine in the fifth. It was the second straight district title for the Wildcats and the 12th since 1977, the year the Wildcats were state champions in a single-class sport.

Trinity Catholic had an even easier time winning Class Three, District Five. The Titans blew past McCluer South-Berkeley, 20-1 in a game called in the third inning due to a 15-run rule, then whitewashed tournament host Lutheran North 14-0, and that was called in the fifth inning. This was the sixth consecutive district title for the Titans since they started winning districts in 2008.

In two games for Hazelwood West Kelsey Donahue struck out eight batters including five against McCluer North while pitching a one-hitter against the Stars. Against Riverview Emily Rousseau had a home runs and a triple while driving in four runs while Roxanne Dennis had four hits including two doubles and scored four times as the ‘Cats scored four runs in the third and fifth innings. Against McCluer North the ‘Cats scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back as Alex Linck scored three runs and drove in three.

Hazelwood West visited Parkway North last Wednesday, Oct. 16, in the sectionals and the winner plays Marquette (Rockwood School District) or Fort Zumwalt North, Saturday, Oct. 20 in the Quarterfinals, scheduled to be played between 12 noon and 4 p.m. Hazelwood West, had they won the sectionals, would host the Quarterfinal game.

Trinity spotted McCluer South-Berkeley a first inning run then countered with five runs in the first inning and put the game out of reach with a 15-run second inning. Against Lutheran North the Titans put this one in the second inning with eight runs.

Sam Coleman dominated as a pitcher in giving up two hits in each game striking out six MS-Berkeley batters and seven Lutheran North batters. As a batter Coleman scored twice against MS-Berkeley and added three runs to go along with three hits including a triple against Lutheran North. Nichole Williams drove in two runs in each game while Katie Leonard scored twice in each game.

Trinity hosted St. Dominic in last Wednesday’s Sectionals and the winner playa Warrenton or Centralia in Saturday’s Quarterfinals. Had Trinity won the Sectional then the Titans would be at home, behind Christ, Light of the Nations School (formerly Our Lady of Loretto) against Warrenton or travel to Centralia.

The last area team to win a Softball Sectional was McCluer in Class Four in 2003.