The reigning Class 3 state champion Fatima Lady Comets enter the Final Four, which begins at 11 a.m. today with a matchup against the fifth-ranked Oak Grove Panthers at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield, as the hunted team. The top-ranked Lady Comets have known they are the team to beat all season, but it has shown no sign of slowing them down.
If the Fatima Lady Comets have shown anything this season, it’s they are capable of finding power hitting anywhere in their lineup, Nos. 1-9. It was Kristen Robertson’s time to shine Tuesday night. The junior third baseman drove the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the fourth inning over the left-field fence for a three-run home run. That blast was the difference in a 4-1 victory against the Blair Oaks Lady Falcons in the Class 3 District 5 Tournament championship game at Southern Boone High School.
On to the next one for the Fatima Lady Comets. Taylor Baumhoer and Mia Kliethermes combined to toss a one-hit shutout in the circle and Kinzey Woody finished a single shy of the cycle and drove in six runs for the top-seeded Lady Comets, leading to a 10-0 run-rule victory in five innings Monday against the No. 4 seed California Lady Pintos in the semifinals of the Class 3 District 5 Tournament at Southern Boone High School.
With offense at a premium, Southern Boone got the shot it needed just in time. Chloe Bukowsky drained a 3-pointer from the left corner with :02.2 showing on the clock to give the Lady Eagles a comeback 33-31 win against the Fatima Lady Comets in the Class 4 sectional round Tuesday night at Missouri S&T’s Gibson Arena.