The potential of a playoff rematch between the Trenton Lady Bulldogs and Lathrop Lady Mules remains in place, although both northwest Missouri softball programs have to pass strong sectional tests in the Class 2 playoffs, as sectionals take place Wednesday night across the state.
Trenton, 25-2 on the season after winning the District 15 title on Saturday in Lexington, will look to avenge one of the two losses suffered during the regular season, playing at 20-7 Marceline on Wednesday night at 6 o’clock. The game will be carried live on KTTN FM 92.3 and Hot Country Z 101.7, with pregame at 5:55. Trenton beat Marceline twice in tournament play (Putnam County, Nan Carter/Trenton) early in the season before Marceline won at Trenton on the Lady Bulldogs “Senior Night”, 6-5 in 10 innings on Monday, September 26th. Marceline won the District 16 championship with a 3-0 victory against Putnam County on Saturday.
Lathrop, an undefeated squad before suffering a pair of late-season losses in the Benton Tournament, won District 14 with a 4-0 win over rival Plattsburg on Saturday, returning the defending Class 2 state champions to the playoffs. Lathrop will host 25-2 Sherwood on Wednesday night at 5 o’clock in a rematch of last year’s state quarterfinal, won by the Lady Mules.
Other Class 2 state sectional contests will be Monroe City at Centralia (6:00 PM), John F. Kennedy at Bowling Green (5:00 PM), Cuba at Pleasant Hope (5:30 PM), Fatima at Blair Oaks (6:00 PM), Jefferson at St. Pius X (Festus) (4:00 PM), and Hartville at Willow Springs (4:00 PM).
Trenton, with a win over Marceline, would be guaranteed to host Saturday’s Class 2 state quarterfinal (against either Lathrop or Sherwood). A Trenton / Lathrop matchup would mark the first meeting between the Mules and Bulldogs since Lathrop beat Trenton 5-0 in the 2015 Class 2 state sectionals, ending Trenton’s season one year ago.
In the Class 1 state sectionals, two Grand River Conference members remain alive in the Round of 16. On Wednesday night, the District 8 champion Gallatin Lady Bulldogs host Knox County (5:30 PM), while on the opposite side of the bracket, the District 14 champion Maysville Lady Wolverines host the Norborne Lady Pirates (5:30 PM). At 6 o’clock on Wednesday night, from Conception Junction, District 16 champion Platte Valley will host the District 15 champion North Harrison Lady Shamrocks. The other 6 o’clock games, on the bottom half of the Class 1 bracket, will send Clopton to Northeast of Cairo, while the District 10 champions from New Franklin host Vienna.
The Knox County/Gallatin winner advances to Saturday’s quarterfinal round, for a meeting with either La Plata or Salisbury. Salisbury, in the sectional round, travels to LaPlata for a 6 o’clock meeting on Wednesday night. At 5 o’clock on Wednesday, District 1 champion Van Buren plays at Norwood, while Walnut Grove plays at Hermitage at 6 o’clock.
In Class 3, the surprise winner from District 13, the Chillicothe Lady Hornets, look to spring another upset on the road, playing at Oak Grove at 4 o’clock. The winner advance to a meeting with either Smithville or St. Joseph Lafayette, who play at 5 o’clock on Wednesday in St. Joseph.
Other Class 3 sectional games will be Notre Dame (Cape Girardeau) at DeSoto at 4 o’clock, Festus at Union (4 PM), Sullivan at Eldon (5 PM), West Plains at Monett (4:00 PM), Rosati-Kain at Incarnate Word (4:00 PM), and St. Dominic at Warrenton (4 PM).
