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Lady Eagles Win 12th Straight District Championship

Pacific was brimming with confidence.

They led Sullivan 2-1 in the second inning of Friday’s Class 3 District 7 championship at St. Francis Borgia Regional High School. Lilly Prichard had just struck a two-out double off Hanna Johanning and Addison Purvis, who had mostly been sidelined with a knee injury the last two weeks was coming in for a second relief appearance.

Purvis had subbed in for Johanning in the first, walked two batters and threw a wild pitch. 

As she stepped into the circle in the second, trying to keep the deficit at 2-1, Pacific was sending the heart of their lineup at her.

Bella Walker, who homered in the first, greeted Purvis with an RBI single. That got Annie Mueller to the plate. 

Mueller, who has hit 40 home runs over four seasons, stepped in with a chance to deliver what could have been the knockout blow or at least put Sullivan deep in the hole.

Mueller fouled off three pitches with three healthy cuts. She faced a 2-2 count.

On the seventh pitch of the at-bat, Purvis froze her. Mueller couldn’t pull the trigger.

Emergency averted.

Just one inning later, Sullivan’s vaunted lineup came alive. Kloey Blanton hit a go-ahead double to clear the bases in the third and give Sullivan a 5-3 lead. 

Johanning, who had nearly missed a three-run homer in the fourth, belted a grand slam in the sixth that gave Sullivan a 9-3 lead.

Sullivan would go on to win 9-4 and claim their 12th straight district championship.

It is the program’s 19th district banner in the last 21 seasons. 

Head coach Ashley Crump said her confidence that the team would come back never wavered.

“I knew we were going to hit,” she said. “I wanted the defense and pitching to be a little sharper to make sure we would keep them off the board, but I knew we would score more. I was still pretty confident.”

With Purvis at less than 100 percent, Sullivan took advantage of the designated player/flex rule so that they could use her and Johanning situationally.

Purvis, who was injured during Sullivan’s game against Reeds Spring on October 3, made her return to the circle in Thursday’s semifinal against Owensville. She struck out both batters she faced and it gave Crump and her coaching staff confidence that she could be called upon in the title game.

“I wasn’t sure she would be playing (at all),” Crump said of her star senior, whose pitching has been the foundation of Sullivan’s success the last four seasons. “When she got to go in (against Owensville), that was amazing. She was three-for-three at the plate and you could see she was gaining confidence.”

After each inning was completed, Purvis told Crump she was going back in. She kept getting stronger as the game went on.

“There were several pitches where we looked at each other and said, ‘there she is,’” Crump said.

With Purvis locking down Pacific’s bats, Sullivan’s were just getting warmed up.

Sullivan put up a quick score on Taylor Hanger in the first when Kayla Ulrich led off with a single. She was replaced on the bases by Alexis Johnson, who promptly scored on a double by Purvis that struck the base of the fence.

Pacific intentionally walked Hannah Cox to face Johanning. She flied out to center, then Blanton bunted into a double play that saw Cox doubled off first.

Sullivan stormed back in the third. Madyson Stahl drew a leadoff walk and Ulrich hit a ball to shallow right that popped out of Olivia Walker’s glove. Purvis sent an RBI single up the middle to score Stahl and make it 3-2.

With one out, Johanning drew a walk to bring up Blanton, who drove a a 1-1 pitch to deep left, clearing the bases and putting Sullivan on top 5-3.

Pacific got a chance to cut into the lead in the fifth. Prichard had a leadoff walk and went to second on a wild pitch. Walker bunted her to third and brought up Mueller. 

Mueller also dropped down a bunt and Prichard scrambled for home. She had seemingly scored, but was called out for runner interference after bumping into Johanning.

“My defender has a right to go to the ball and if the runner runs into her, she’s out,” Crump said. “That was a great call. That was huge.”

Pacific would get nothing out of the inning after Madison Greco popped out to Ulrich behind the plate.

The runner interference would loom as the game headed into the bottom of the sixth.

Ulrich extended the frame with a double to center. Purvis was intentionally walked and Hanger walked Cox to load the bases. 

Johanning made them pay. She crushed an 0-1 pitch to center for a grand slam — her second homer of the tournament. 

In the seventh, Prichard inched Pacific closer with a two-out solo homer. Everything that preceded it — the runner interference, the two-out rally started by Ulrich, the grand slam by Johanning —meant it was just another speed bump for Sullivan to get over.

 

Sullivan Independent News

Sullivan Independent News
411 Scottsdale
Sullivan, MO 63080

Phone: 573-468-6511
Fax: 573-468-4046

 

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