Softball ‘Cats drop to Louisiana in districts

Sam Turner shined on the field and at the plate in her postseason debut on Oct. 16 against Louisiana in a Class 2, District 4 semifinal game at Kiwanis Fields.

The Montgomery County freshman first baseman got a single to extend her hitting streak to eight games and made a sensational catch in foul territory. But her effort wasn’t enough to help the Wildcats knock off Louisiana.

The third-seeded Bulldogs hit five home runs to cruise to a 17-6 win over the second-seeded Wildcats in six innings. The 17 runs allowed marked a season high for MCHS.

“It was definitely a rough way to end our season,” Turner said. “It was a hard loss, but mostly what happened was they were hitting the ball. We didn’t hit as well tonight as we could have. But we fought. That’s really all we can do.”

MCHS finished its season at 18-8. The Wildcats set a team record for wins in a season and doubled their victory total from last year. Turner said she was thrilled to be part of a winning team in her first high school softball season.

“It’s incredible how far all of our girls have come from the beginning of the year and to see how much everybody has improved and to see how well everybody has adapted and overcome through the season,” Turner said.

After losing to Elsberry 13-1 in the district championship game on Oct. 17, Louisiana finished 16-11, its first winning season since 2016. Three years ago, the Bulldogs were 0-21.

“They put this program where it should be,” said Louisiana coach Kelsea Calvin, who took over the team in 2020. “I told them each year, we should leave the program better than where it started. So that’s what they’re doing.”

The Wildcats hosted a district tournament for the first time since 2020. Last year, they played at Valley Park and lost to the host team in the district finals.

“I love hosting and I love playing on our home field,” MCHS coach Audra Heimer said. “It is a tough district. Elsberry is a good team. Louisiana is a good team and we split with them (during the regular season). As of Valley Park, you never know what will come out of those St. Louis teams. Regardless, we had a good year. It didn’t really show up tonight. Louisiana came here and played really well.”

Louisiana ended the high school softball careers of seniors Maddy Queathem and El Reagan, who played with the Wildcats all four years.
The Wildcats trailed 6-0 in the top of the first and never recovered. They got within 10-6 after junior Aliviah Fischer hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth. But Louisiana answered with five runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to tie its largest offensive output of the season. The Bulldogs also scored 17 runs against Hannibal in late September.

“We haven’t seen them play like that ever,” Turner said. “They just hit the ball. It was definitely not what we were expecting.”

Turner got the Wildcats’ first hit of the game, a single with a runner on and no one out in the bottom of the second. She later scored on a single by Reagan that cut Louisiana’s lead to 6-1. With a runner on in the top of the fourth, Louisiana’s Jordyn Boehlein hit a foul ball that went towards the Wildcats’ dugout. Turner sprinted towards the dugout and caught the ball.

“From my standpoint, I had a good game tonight,” Turner said. “I hit well and I had that one good catch. I played well. I did the best that I could.”

Turner, who played with the Hot Shots select softball team this summer, was a valuable player since the season opener against Hermann on Aug. 29, where she got a hit. She finished .333, which was the fourth-best average on the team, and drove in 27 runs.

“I got to go out here and prove myself to the team,” said Turner, who was one of three freshmen in the starting lineup. “I proved that a freshman can keep up with these older girls and can work and help the team, even as young as we are.”