MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Fourth-seeded College Heights Christian (with McAuley Catholic) suffered a season-ending 5-0 setback to fifth-seeded Pierce City on Saturday in a quarterfinal contest of the Class 2 District 6 softball tournament at Spirit of 76 Park.
Pierce City (14-9) advanced to Monday’s semifinals, where the Eagles will take on top-seeded Mount Vernon (32-1) at 5 p.m.
Mount Vernon pounded eighth-seeded Southwest (Washburn) 17-2 in four innings.
In other quarterfinal action, third-seeded Sarcoxie topped sixth-seeded East Newton 12-3 and second-seeded Diamond edged seventh-seeded Lamar 1-0.
Diamond (26-9-1) and Sarcoxie (14-9) will meet in the second semifinal at 6:45 on Monday night.
PIERCE CITY 5, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 0
The game was scoreless until Pierce City scored three runs in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Claudia Crowell delivered a two-run single before Abby O’Hara followed with an RBI single.
The Eagles pushed across a single tally in the fourth to extend their lead, as Trinity Witt reached on an error, took third on Hailey Gripka’s single and then scored on a CHC error.
Pierce City added an insurance run in the seventh after a single and three CHC errors.
Gripka and O’Hara had two hits apiece for the Eagles.
The Cougars simply couldn’t generate much offense, as they were limited to four hits by Crowell.
Crowell struck out nine and walked three in the shutout victory.
Jayli Johnson had two hits for the Cougars, including a triple, while Kloee Williamson and Aaliyah Perez added one hit apiece. Perez doubled.
Maddy Colin took the loss, but she didn’t allow an earned run. Colin struck out 14 and allowed seven hits and one walk.
The Cougars committed six errors in the field.
College Heights ends the season with a record of 18-6-1. The Cougars captured a third straight Ozark 7 Conference championship this season.
MOUNT VERNON 17, SOUTHWEST 2
The Mountaineers rode two big innings, a seven-run second and an eight-run fourth, to a convincing run-rule victory.
The tourney hosts scored their 17 runs on 16 hits in just four innings.
Payge Evans and Allie Schubert had three hits apiece, while Harley Daniels, Rae Downing, Cheyenne Bieber and Ava Bellis contributed two hits apiece.
Daniels drove in four runs, while Evans had three RBI and scored three runs.
Daniels earned the pitching victory. In four innings, Daniels struck out 10 and allowed two runs on three hits and three walks. Also of note, Daniels recorded her 600th career strikeout.
Southwest (8-12) scored both of its runs in the second on Kaleigh Tull’s two-run double.
Mount Vernon coach Matt Schubert earned career win No. 200.
The Mountaineers have won 24 straight games ahead of the semifinals.
SARCOXIE 12, EAST NEWTON 3
Up 3-0, Sarcoxie scored five runs in the third to take a commanding 8-0 lead.
East Newton got on the board with three runs in the fifth, but the Bears added one run in the fifth and three more in the sixth for the final margin.
Sarcoxie’s Kylee Walters was the winning pitcher. She gave up three runs on six hits and struck out 14 in the complete-game effort.
Jocelyn Benito and Walters had three hits apiece for the Bears, while Emma Plybon, Kaydence Flynn, Breann Shumake and Emma Parrigon all contributed two hits apiece.
East Newton’s Gracie Ford took the loss after surrendering 11 earned runs on 17 hits. She struck out five.
Josie Guinn had two hits for the Patriots, including a double. Shaw Coburn tripled, while Ava Periman and Coburn had one RBI apiece.
The Patriots finished the season with a record of 8-13.
DIAMOND 1, LAMAR 0
Defending state champion Diamond survived and advanced.
The game was scoreless when the Wildcats broke through with a single tally in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Emilee Shallenburger was hit by a pitch. She went to second on Kabrie Parmley’s sac bunt and took third on a wild pitch.
Grace Frazier’s sac fly to center allowed Shallenburger to score the game’s lone run.
Diamond’s Caitlyn Suhrie tossed a complete-game shutout. She allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out 10.
Helping her own cause, Suhrie had two of Diamond’s four hits.
Lamar’s Lilly Weber took the loss, but she only gave up one run on four hits and a walk while striking out six.
Recording hits for the Tigers were Jaycee Doss and Ashlyn Stettler.
Lamar closes the season at 13-17.
Class 2 District 6 tournament
(At Spirit of 76 Park)
Saturday’s scores
(1) Mount Vernon 17, (8) Southwest 2
(5) Pierce City 5, (4) College Heights/McAuley 0
(3) Sarcoxie 12, (6) East Newton 3
(2) Diamond 1, (7) Lamar 0
Monday’s semifinals
5 p.m. — Mount Vernon vs. Pierce City
6:45 — Diamond vs. Sarcoxie
