Diamond wins first softball state championship

May 24—SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — From a big late home run for Diamond to a late comeback attempt from Skyline, there may not have been a person more overwhelmed with emotion and nerves than Diamond softball coach Kelsey Parrish at the ballpark.

"I definitely added a lot of gray hair," Parrish quipped.

But when shortstop Lauren Turner positioned herself under the pop fly and squeezed the final out in her glove, it was all worth it.

The top-ranked Wildcats capped off their most successful season in school history with a thrilling 6-4 victory over No. 3 Skyline on Tuesday morning in the Class 2 state championship game at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.

Diamond (29-3) won 21 of its last 22 games en route to capturing that elusive first state title as a program.

"I don't think it has hit me yet," Parrish said about 20 minutes after the game. "We had persistence. They just kept fighting. Our goal was to try and always win every inning. They did it. They did awesome. I'm beyond blessed and proud of my girls."

"Words cannot describe how crazy it feels right now," Diamond's first baseman Lexy Bridges said. "We were all standing in the infield and my heart was just racing — the whole time. When we won, I was just cluttered with emotions. My mind went crazy."

The Wildcats and Skyline (22-5) were tied 1-1 when Madi Bentley blooped an RBI single to center field to score Caitlyn Suhrie in the top of the sixth.

Sparking Diamond throughout the playoffs with her base running, Suhrie wreaked havoc against the Tigers. The sophomore led off the frame with a single and swiped second, drawing an errant throw that allowed her to take third on the play.

It was just Monday when Suhrie went 3 for 4 with a clutch game-tying three-run home run in a 7-6 victory over Kennett in the state semifinals. She was also the one to score on Bridges' walk-off fielder's choice, sending the Wildcats to the state finals.

"That kid is all grit," Parrish said of Suhrie. "She is all-hustle. She just plays well and she will give it 110% with everything she does."

And right on cue, Bentley returned to the circle and did what she does best. The power righty hurled an efficient 1-2-3 inning to get Diamond back in the dugout.

In the top of the seventh, Diamond plated across four big runs to take a 6-1 advantage. It started when Kabrie Parmley and Turner led off the inning with back-to-back singles.

Grace Frazier accounted for the first run with an RBI one-bagger. After Suhrie lined out and Bentley struck out, Bridges uncorked a three-run home run over the center field wall for her first long ball of the season.

It couldn't have come at a more opportune time for the senior.

"I rounded first and I saw it go over and I was like, 'Man, I think I just secured it,'" Bridges said. "I thought it was a good way to end my senior year, for sure."

Skyline did not go away quietly. The Tigers struck for three runs in the bottom half of the seventh as Chayla Tuning worked a bases loaded free pass, while Kalli Eidson came through with a run-scoring single.

One batter later, Autumn Baldwin plated home Abagail Hammer with a single up the middle. A second run nearly scored, but a strong throw from center fielder Suhrie cut down Tuning for the second out.

Bentley yielded a popup to Alexa Curtis as Diamond overcame Skyline's late comeback attempt.

Parrish attributed her team's ability to stay composed with the tough schedule the team has played this spring.

"That's what we have been working on all year," Parrish said. "When we got to those big moments, we could stay calm, stay relaxed and just play our game."

As Bridges said, "I think it just showed how much we can keep our emotions down. We just kept a strong mental state in the end."

In the bottom of the second, Skyline drew first blood as Grace Edge homered on a drive to left field. Diamond's Suhrie tied things up with a run-scoring double in the top of the third.

A Division II Southwest Baptist signee, Bentley earned the complete-game victory in her final outing for the Wildcats. She surrendered four earned runs on six hits while striking out eight batters and walking two.

Diamond racked up 11 hits. Turner amassed three hits, while Frazier, Suhrie and Bridges each had two.

The Wildcats made their presence known on the base paths, collecting seven thefts. Frazier and Turner swiped two bags apiece.

"It's a key ingredient in our program," Parrish said. "That was one of our goals this year to be aggressive on the bases. We saw we had the opportunity to do that and we took advantage of it. I'm very proud of them for that."

Jadyn Foster suffered the loss for the Tigers. She allowed 11 hits while striking out five and walking one.

Edge paced Skyline with two hits.