Marian (Neb.) takes home the trophy
One of the two teams still hasn’t completed its season, but the biggest winners in this week’s fall season national softball rankings were from Marian of Omaha, Neb., and Blue Springs South of Blue Springs, Mo.
Marian captured the Nebraska Class A state championship in dramatic fashion. The Crusaders had lost their only two games of the season coming into the double-elimination state tourney to national No. 3 and unbeaten Gretna. They first pushed Gretna down into the loser’s bracket with a 2-1 win, but had to beat the Dragons again when they won in an elimination game.
It looked like Gretna was going to get a chance for a winner-take-all final as it took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. But Marian didn’t let that happen.
Rylinn Groff tied the score at 3-3 with a two-run homer. The winning run was scored on a bunt play that began with a throwaway at first base, then Maddia Groff tripped and fell while attempting to score. Maddia Groff then got into a run-down between third and home, but on a throw home to the plate the ball was dropped, enabling Groff to score the winning run.
Marian won its first state title since 2015. Head coach Chad Perkins’ girls also moved up from No. 8 to No. 5 in this week’s rankings. Gretna had to drop from No. 3, but will end in the top 10 when the final rankings are compiled.
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Blue Springs South Makes State
Blue Springs South has a similar rise in this week’s rankings as Marian since it is moving up over a team that was No. 1 in its state and a team that it had lost to twice earlier this season.
The Jaguars can’t celebrate the end of their season, however, since the final four of the Missouri Class 5 state championships are still to be played this weekend.
Both Blue Springs South and Rock Bridge of Columbia (the season-long leader in the state) are from the same district so only one of them could advance to state. Rock Bridge had two earlier wins over Blue Springs South, 11-5 and 8-0, although the Jaguars also had an earlier win (9-8).
In the game that counted the most, junior Maddy Duvall smacked a pair of doubles for three RBI and gave up no earned runs in the circle (four-hitter) in leading Blue Springs South past Rock Bridge, 6-2. In this week’s rankings, the Jaguars jumped from No. 7 to No. 4 while Rock Bridge fell from No. 4 to No. 8.
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Oklahoma Fall Season Finishes
Nebraska wasn’t the only fall softball state to end its season last week. The Oklahoma state finals for Class 6A, Class 5A and Class 4A also were completed after its state brackets in the other divisions were held the previous weekend.
While Edmond Memorial won the Class 6A title, the highest ranked team in Oklahoma will be Piedmont. The Wildcats (40-3) won their second straight Class 5A title with a 5-3 victory over Coweta and they are led by 2021 Gatorade State Player of the Year Karissa Fiegener.
The Grand Canyon University recruit had a huge quarterfinal game, going 4-for-6 with a homer, double and six RBI in a 14-2 win over Duncan, but in the final the key was junior pitcher Peyten Schibbelhute throwing five shutout innings after giving up three in the first two.
STATE CHAMPIONS. pic.twitter.com/bbCKyFejp8
— Piedmont Athletics & Activities (@PiedmontAth) October 15, 2022
There was more good news for the Piedmont girls earlier this week when the National Fastpitch Coaches Association named its home field as its High School Field of the Year.
In the coming next two weekends, state championship tourneys also will be completed in Georgia and Colorado.
Columbine is the favorite and top seed for Colorado in Class 5A while Lutheran of Parker is in the same role for Class 4A.
Both of those state tourneys begin Friday. Georgia, which contains the most nationally ranked teams in the fall season states, will be in super regionals this weekend leading into state championships the following weekend.
— By Mark Tennis
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(Teams listed with most current win-loss records as of Wednesday, Oct. 18)
(Previous record in parentheses)
*Indicates season complete.
1. (1) Buford (Buford, Ga.) 24-0
2. (2) Pope (Marietta, Ga.) 29-1
3. (6) Columbine (Littleton, Colo.) 24-1
4. (7) Blue Springs South (Blue Springs, Mo.) 31-2
5. (8) Marian (Omaha, Neb.) 33-2*
*** Scroll down to see the rest of the Extra Elite Fall Rankings including the rest of the Top 25, ones that dropped out and teams on the bubble!
