Wildcats Meet Statesmen in Webster Groves for Missouri Softball Sectional No. 2

Again, it took until the bottom of the third inning for runs scored by either the Eureka Wildcats or Webster Groves Statesmen, but it was the Wildcats who clawed their way there first at 2-0. And then the Cats kept adding the runs until the seventh inning, sweeping the Statesmen 7-0 to win this year's MSHSAA Class 4 Softball State Tournament Sectional No. 2 designation.

Eureka (19-1) now faces the Northwest Lions (15-11) for the quarterfinals on Saturday at Eureka's field. The game time, as of Wednesday night, is tentatively slated for 1 p.m. The Lions and Wildcats were scheduled to play each other earlier in the Suburban West Conference season, but could not due to a rainout.

Northwest beat Cape Central Wednesday night in other sectional play.

Eureka is inching closer to the opportunity for the team's back-to-back trip to the state final four, given last year's achievement.

Momentum of Wednesday's game shifted to the Wildcats during the third inning when Jessica Poore doubled and Allie Webb delivered a sacrifice bunt. Webster Groves' first baseman Samantha Brown picked up the bunt, but threw the ball past second baseman Kyra Navia who was covering first; the ball went down into the right field corner. By the time the Statesmen got it back into the in-field, Poore had scored and Webb rounded the diamond on the four-base error.

One injury stopped Wednesday's game at Plymouth Field when the arm and wrist of a Webster Groves' senior, Navia, was hurt at a second base play. She remained in the game, but didn't bat.

Eureka pitcher Maddie Krumrey racked up 14 strikeouts Wednesday. And the Wildcats capitalized on the Statesmen's four errors that happened at strategic times of the game, resulting in six of the seven runs.