It didn’t take long for the Cardinals softball team to catch fire at the state softball tournament Thursday, defeating Rock Creek 4-0 in the quarterfinals.
Senior Katie Courter slapped the first pitch the Cardinals saw into the right field gap and sprinted around for a triple, sending the Eudora dugout and fans into a frenzy.
“I think we all showed up with really good focus,” Courter said. “I just knew my job as a leadoff. I was going to see the first pitch I liked, and I was going to jump on it. I have confidence in myself, and I have confidence that my team is going to get me in, so I know if I get on base, my team’s got me.”
The Cardinals scored in each of the first three innings thanks to some solid team hitting to take a 4-0 lead they carried to the end.
“I think it’s important,” senior Samantha Claire said. “That first one sets the tone for the whole weekend, and just kind of sets our confidence in.”
Claire controlled the game from the pitcher’s circle, striking out four of the first six batters she faced and racking up 11 punch outs by the end of the game.
“We were very good in coming out of the block and getting that run,” head coach Bill Finucane said. “It just adds to our confidence, and sometimes takes a little bit of confidence away from the other team, especially when you’ve got a pitcher like Sam throwing from our side.”
In the top of the fourth inning, Rock Creek found some momentum with the top of the order up. With the bases loaded and no outs, Claire struck out the next batter. Then, Courter made a diving catch to rob Rock Creek of a hit and scurried to second base to record the double play.
“Instead of us falling apart, we seemed to have a resolve to get the defense even better,” Finucane said. “And the plays that were made were fantastic. That play that Katie Courter made was just excellent.”
The Cardinals will play in the semifinals at 1 p.m. tomorrow (Friday). If they win, the state championship final is at 5 p.m.
“We all want this as much as each other,” Claire said. “And I think that’s really important. So, I mean, trusting each other, hitting the ball and we’ll be just fine.”
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
