SPARTA, Mo. — A seven-run third inning propelled Mount Vernon to a dominant 13-3 victory over Sparta in the quarterfinals of the Class 2 spring softball tournament on Tuesday.
With the lopsided win, the Mountaineers (35-1) advance to the state semifinals, where they’ll meet Fair Grove (19-4) at 1:15 p.m. on Monday, May 22 at Killian Sports Complex in Springfield.
It’s Mount Vernon’s first semifinal appearance since 2019, when the team finished fourth in Class 1.
Sparta’s Natalie Wilks homered in the first inning before Mount Vernon’s Ava Bellis tied it up in the second with a single to center.
Mount Vernon erupted for seven runs on eight hits in the game-changing third inning.
Allie Schubert, Harley Daniels, Cheyenne Bieber and Hali Stokes all drove in runs during the big inning.
The Mountaineers added four runs in the fourth.
Lillian Burk hit an RBI single, scoring Molly Daniels. A throwing error and a wild pitch made it 11-1 before Stokes hit an RBI single for an 11-run cushion.
The Trojans extended the game by plating two runs in the fifth on Wilks’ second homer of the game.
The Mountaineers scored the game-ending run in the bottom of the fifth, with Molly Daniels driving in Payge Evans for the walk-off.
Stokes had three hits, while Evans, Molly Daniels, Harley Daniels and Rae Downing had two hits apiece.
Mount Vernon’s Harley Daniels (27-1) was the winning pitcher. She allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four in five innings.
