Published on May 27, 2026 7:16 am
Last Updated on May 27, 2026 7:17 am
BY MILLIE LANGE
One area team advanced, the other one saw its season come to a close at the Class 1A Casey-Westfield Softball Sectional Tuesday in games heard on KJ Country 102.3.
In the opener, Casey-Westfield’s pitching kept South Central off the base paths for a 6-2 victory.
South Central did strike in the opening inning as Perci Reid drew a walk. She was sacrificed over by Annie Ruholl. Kinlee Thompson followed with a walk. Lauren Johnson sacrificed and Reid came home.
The Cougars pushed their lead to 2-0 in the top of the second. Maddie Peddicord drew a walk and stole second. With two outs, an error allowed Zoey Feldhake on base and Peddicord scored.
But the Warriors began to rumble in the bottom of the second. Lucy Moore led off with a single. Arhianna Bonds walked and Ella Whitacre followed with a walk. A ball hit by Gylly Gilbert was a fielder’s choice and Moore scored to pull the Warriors within 2-1.
South Central went up and down in the third in order.
Casey-Westfield then tallied two runs in the bottom of the frame to move into a 3-2 lead. Ava Goble doubled and Anna Karras singled. It looked like the Cougars would get out of the inning as Johnson got the next two batters on strikeouts.
But, Bonds came through once again, this time with a double and Ella Whitacre hit a single that scored a run and suddenly the Warriors held a 6-2 lead.
And that’s where the scoring ended for both teams.
Casey-Westfield finished with 10 hits while Goble held the Cougars to three hits while walking three and striking out six.
The Cougars finished the season with a 17-13 record. Casey-Westfield advances to the championship game with a 31-4 mark.
In the second game, Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg edged Edwards County (Albion), 1-0.
Kendra Hayes tossed the three-hitter. She did not allow a walk and struck out three.
Meanwhile, Windsor/Stew-Stras had four hits and took advantage of its situation in the final inning.
The Hatchets loaded the bases in the first inning but couldn’t get anyone home as Mya Friese led off with a single and Hayes and Kinsley Dunaway drew back-to-back walks.
Hayes got a single in the third but was left stranded. In the second and fourth innings, the Hatchets went up and down in order.
In the sixth, an error allowed Kalia Friese on base with two outs but that’s all the farther she got. Claire Holland had a single in the seventh but was left on base.
But the Hatchets finally took advantage in the eighth. M. Friese drew a walk and went to second on a wild pitch. Hayes sacrified her over. Dunaway followed with a walk and K. Friese followed with a sacrifice bunt down the first base line that produced the winning run.
Windsor/Stew-Stras finished with four hits led by Zaida Wascher with a double. M. Friese, Hayes and Holland had a single each.
Windsor/Stew-Stras will now face Casey-Westfield at 4:30 p.m. Friday for the sectional championship and a berth in the Carbondale Super-Sectional Monday at 4:30 p.m.
This will be a matchup from last year’s super-sectional where Casey-Westfield won.
Class 1A Casey-Westfield Sectional
Game 1
South Central 110 000 0 — 2- 3-0
Casey-Westfield 012 030 x — 6-10-2
WP — Goble. LP — Johnson.
South Central — Reid, 2 singles; Johnson, single, 1 RBI
Casey-Westfield — Goble, single, 2 doubles; Karras, single; Frye, single; Moore, single, double, 1 RBI; Bonds, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Whitacre, single; Gilbert, 1 RBI
Game 2
Edwards County 000 000 00 — 0-3-1
Windsor/Stew-Stras 000 000 01 — 1-4-0
WP — Hayes. LP — Groff.
Edwards County — Murphy, single; Richards, single; Troyer, single
Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg — M. Friese, single; Hayes, single; K. Friese, 1 RBI; Holland, single; Wascher, double