In high school girls state softball championship contests played on Saturday in Springfield, Canton beat previously unbeaten Polo to end the Grand River Conference champions unbeaten run, with the Tigers victorious by a final tally of 4-2. Marceline won a second consecutive Class 2 state title, rallying to beat Sherwood 3-2. In the wildest game of the day, Fatima outlasted Chillicothe in eight innings, 16-14, giving the Lady Hornets a second consecutive runner-up finish.
In Marceline’s victory over Sherwood, the Lady Tigers scored the tying run in the top of the sixth inning, leaving the game even at 1-1. The Marksmen scored a run in the bottom of the 6th for a 2-1 lead. However, Marceline, a team that rallied in the middle innings for a 7-3 district semifinal win over Trenton, scored twice in the top of the 7th, winning the state crown 3-2. Sherwood was held scoreless in the bottom of the 7th.
Marceline had seven hits, four walks, and one error. Sherwood had four hits, no walks, and three costly errors. MHS had a season record of 27-5, with Sherwood finishing 30-6.
In Chillicothe’s loss to Fatima, the Lady Hornets scored ten times in the bottom of the 2nd, taking what looked to be a more-than-safe 13-4 lead. However, Fatima scored six times in the 3rd inning to jump right back into the contest, before adding two runs in the fifth, and two in the sixth, to snare a 14-13 lead. Chillicothe scored a run in the bottom of the 7th inning to tie the score at 14.
Fatima scored twice in the top of the eighth inning and held Chillicothe scoreless in the bottom of the inning, leaving the final score at 16-14.
Fatima had 19 hits and three walks in the game. Chillicothe collected 14 hits and seven walks. Fatima had four errors and Chillicothe three errors.
Chillicothe had a season record of 28-7. Fatima was 33-3.
In Canton’s 4-2 win over Polo in Class 1, the Lady Tigers scored all four of its runs in the top of the fifth inning. Polo had one run in the first and its other run in the 7th.
Canton had seven hits and two walks. Polo collected nine hits and three walks. Neither team had an error.
Polo finished its season with a record of 26-1. Canton was 27-5.
