Lee’s Summit West wins state softball championship in walkoff nail-biter after 19-1 rout

Big moments? Postseason magic? What the Lee’s Summit West High School softball team accomplished Friday ranks right up there with the best of ‘em.

After hammering Parkway South 19-1 in the morning semifinals at the Class 5 state tournament in Springfield, the Titans overcame a five-run deficit and a Francis Howell pitcher who’d been cruising to stun the Spartans 6-5 for the 2021 Missouri championship.

Riley McGovern struck the final blow for Lee’s Summit West (25-10) with a walkoff single to score Addy Waits in the bottom of the seventh inning. But to even get the game to that point, the Titans had to crawl out of a 5-1 chasm — which they did by plating four runs in the sixth and one in the seventh.

As exciting as that finish was for Lee’s Summit West, the Titans left no doubt Friday morning, either. The final score looks like a typo, but they rolled into the afternoon title game with a 19-1 demolition of Parkway South in the semifinals at Parkview High.

All first-day state-tourney games were washed out Thursday, so both Class 5 semifinals were played Friday.

Lee’s Summit West needed just three innings to get the job done in the semis and advance to the finale. The mercy rule was invoked after the Titans put up four runs in the first, five in the second and 10 in the third.

Lee’s Summit West senior Katerina Wilds, who has committed to attend and play softball next year for Avila University, led the way by going 3-for-3 with three home runs, including a grand slam.

Friday’s other Class 5 semifinal, between Blue Springs South and Francis Howell, was as close as the Titans’ was disparate as Blue Springs South lost a heartbreaker, 15-11.

Blue Springs South led early, fell behind, then tied the game 9-9 in the top of the sixth. But a three-run homer punctuated a six-run sixth for Francis Howell.

The Jaguars could only get two of those runs back, on a single and passed ball, in the top of the seventh.

Blue Springs South was playing Parkway South for third place Friday evening.

In other action Friday, Platte County fell 10-0 to Washington in the Class 4 semifinals.

This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 12:53 PM.