Kearney Bulldogs softball team wins Missouri Class 4 state championship in Springfield
The Kearney Bulldogs softball team laid claim to the Missouri Class 4 high school state championship on Friday at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.
Kearney (26-8) outlasted Helias Catholic 14-9 in the title showdown on the strength of four home runs off the Bulldogs’ bats. It’s the KHS program’s second state championship.
Kearney built a 10-2 lead against Helias Catholic (28-7) by the fifth inning but then saw the Crusaders chip into that advantage; it was 10-8 in the top of the seventh inning before the Bulldogs pulled away with a flurry of activity on the base paths highlighted by back-to-back homers.
The Crusaders got one run back in the bottom of the seventh, but that was it. Afterward, Kearney players converged in celebration at the center of the diamond.
The Bulldogs had reached Friday’s title showdown with a 6-3 victory over Warrenton in Thursday’s semifinals.
Later Friday, Blue Springs South beat Francis Howell 10-2 for the Class 5 championship, giving the Kansas City area two state softball champions in Missouri’s two largest school classifications.
More results from the Missouri high school softball tournaments follows below ...
CLASS 5
Thursday’s semifinals
Blue Springs South 11, Marquette 2
Francis Howell 10, Liberty 0
Thursday’s third-place game
Liberty 3, Marquette 1
Friday’s championship game
Blue Springs South 10, Francis Howell 2
CLASS 4
Thursday’s semifinals
Helias Catholic 5, Washington 1
Kearney 6, Warrenton 3
Thursday’s third-place game
Washington 10, Warrenton 0
Friday’s championship game
Kearney 14, Helias Catholic 9
CLASS 3
Friday’s semifinals
Westminster Christian Academy vs. Fatima
Bowling Green vs. Chillicothe
Friday’s third-place game
Semifinal losers, 5:15 p.m.
Saturday’s championship game
Semifinal winners, 12:15 p.m.
CLASS 2
Friday’s semifinals
Marceline 7, Eugene 1
Sherwood 1, Russellville 0
Friday’s third-place game
Eugene vs. Russellville
Saturday’s championship game
Marceline vs. Sherwood, 10 a.m.
CLASS 1
Friday’s semifinals
Marion C. Early vs. Canton
Salisbury vs. Polo
Friday’s third-place game
Semifinal losers, TBD
Saturday’s championship game
Semifinal winners, 2:30 p.m.
This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 1:09 PM.