SENECA, Mo. — The Seneca Indians’ deepest run in softball since 2006 came to an end with a 9-0 loss against the 31-win Fatima Comets in the Class 3 state quarterfinals on Thursday night within the Seneca Athletic Complex.
Fatima scored five runs in the second inning and four in the fourth, while Fatima pitcher Taylor Baumhoer retired 19 straight Indians to end the game after Callie Rhoades’ double in the first. Baumhoer struck out seven straight from the fourth through the sixth.
Fatima’s Kinzey Woody hit a two-run double in the second and a three-run homer in the fourth.
Fatima tallied a combined 10 hits in the second and fourth and three in the other five innings.
Meanwhile, Rhoades proved to be Seneca’s lone runner against Baumhoer and the Comets.
Baumhoer struck out 14 Seneca hitters with two in the first, one in the second, three in the third, two in the fourth, three in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.
“They’re a very good team, and I thought our girls battled and competed,” Seneca coach Jeff Sill said. “They’re ranked No. 1 in the state for a reason. We saw that, but I’m proud of the way that we played.
“I wish that we put more balls in play, of course. We didn’t collapse after that big inning they had, and we scrapped and fought. I’m proud of that.”
Seneca finished the season 12-19 overall, but please keep in mind the Indians started their season with 11 straight losses against predominantly Class 4 and Class 5 opponents like Joplin, Carthage, McDonald County, Webb City and Carl Junction.
The Indians were 12-8 over their final 20 games.
Seneca went on a hot streak in the district tournament, defeating Logan-Rogersville 13-3 in the quarters, Versailles 11-6 in the semifinals and Cassville 1-0 for the district title. That same Cassville team defeated Seneca 8-2 only eight days before their rematch.
“We got to play in the district title game, and won that,” Sill said. “We got to face this Fatima team. They stuck together through the year. It was a tough schedule to start the year, playing in the Joplin tournament and playing some tough teams and our conference (Big 8) is tough. That sets us up to play games like this.”
Seneca seniors Maci Brown, Liberty Cornell, Bailey Lannon and Daylin McKnight played their final high school game Thursday.
“We’ve got four good seniors,” Sill said. “They all love the game, play the game hard, and they’re not going to do anything flashy. They just do what they’re asked to do, play smart softball, and they’re just a good group to coach. I’m proud of what they gave the team throughout their career, their four years here, and their leadership.”
The Indians’ roster also featured younger players like sophomores Rhoades and Kahli Fields and freshman Abby Jamros. Rhoades earned all-conference and all-district first team on the infield, Fields all-district first team and all-conference second team in the outfield and Jamros all-district first team at pitcher.
“We’ve got some underclassmen that got to experience this, and know how it works,” Sill said. “We can still do it, if we start off 0-11 or whatever, it’s how we’re playing at the end. It was a good season for them.”
Fatima improved to 31-3 on the season, and the Comets will play Westminster Christian Academy (20-6) in the semifinals Friday, Oct. 28, at the Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.
2 thoughts on “STATE SOFTBALL: Seneca falls to powerhouse Fatima in quarterfinals”
Thank you for your review, which focused on the strengths of both teams. I attended the game, and the Fatima team played a phenomenal game. The Seneca women played very well; they were just playing a better team. I was thrilled to watch the level of athletisism displayed. I wish the Comets all good things and continued success. I look forward to watching the Indians in the next 2 or 3 years because I think this team is on the way to glory!
Thank you for writing such an excellent article about the Seneca High School softball program! Their accomplishments weren’t highlighted much in the local media, so our whole town genuinely appreciates the opportunity to be featured in your publication. These young women worked very hard to get to where they are, and they deserve the recognition for it! We’ll be looking forward to seeing you at more women’s sporting events going forward.