Cambri Van Loo News Today

The Helias softball rematch tour continues. The Lady Crusaders avenged last year’s loss in the state title game, upending the defending state champion Kearney Lady Bulldogs for a 3-1 victory Thursday afternoon in the Class 4 state semifinals at Killian Softball Complex. “This was fun, that’s all I can say,” Helias coach Kelly Fick said.

The Helias softball team is going back to the Class 4 Final Four for a second straight season, so there will be plenty of familiarity for the Lady Crusaders during their visit to Springfield. But the familiarity doesn’t end there.

It wasn’t going to be easy. The Helias Lady Crusaders were taking on the Warrenton Warriors in the title game of the Class 4 District 5 Tournament on Monday night at Jefferson City High School in a meeting of two teams that advanced to the Class 4 Final Four last season.

The Helias Lady Crusaders weren’t going to go away. Trailing 2-0 after just three batters Tuesday against the Southern Boone Lady Eagles, the Lady Crusaders knew their was plenty of game yet to be played. “It’s tough to have to battle and claw our way back, but I’m proud of the way we did it today,” Helias coach Kelly Fick said after the Lady Crusaders defeated the Lady Eagles 7-4 at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex.

All it took for the Blair Oaks Lady Falcons was one inning. Despite committing five errors and falling behind early to the Helias Lady Crusaders, Blair Oaks used a three-hit fifth inning to score all of its runs and hold on for a 3-2 victory Tuesday night at the Falcon Athletic Complex.

The Helias Lady Crusaders took advantage of their opportunities and it made a big difference Wednesday night. The Lady Crusaders scored five runs with two outs while the Jefferson City Lady Jays stranded nine baserunners, helping Helias run away with a 9-2 victory in Central Missouri Activities Conference play at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex.

There was plenty of offense to go around in Friday’s Class 4 softball state championship game at Killian Softball Complex. Kearney had a bit more offense than Helias, and provided plenty of power to go with it. The Lady Bulldogs hit four home runs, and two of them were hit by Elysia Hand, who drove in eight runs. Kearney captured its first state title since 2005 with a 14-9 victory against the Lady Crusaders.

It was the perfect time for her first home run of the season. Ava Morris hit a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning Wednesday to break a tie at 2 as the Helias Lady Crusaders defeated the Camdenton Lady Lakers 4-2 in the Class 4 softball quarterfinals.

They all knew it. Earlier this month, the Helias Lady Crusaders jumped out to a 4-0 lead in a game against the Capital City Lady Cavaliers. Capital City then scored five unanswered runs to rally for a 5-4 victory. On Saturday, the Lady Crusaders led the Lady Cavaliers 4-0 after three innings in the Class 4 District 5 Tournament championship game at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex. Helias remembered what happened the last time. “Absolutely, no doubt,” Helias coach Kelly Fick said. C...

The Rock Bridge Bruins took advantage of a lot of little things. The Helias Lady Crusaders didn’t get many little things to take advantage of from the Bruins. “We just didn’t do what we needed to do today,” Helias coach Kelly Fick said after Monday’s 8-1 loss to Rock Bridge in Central Missouri Activities Conference action at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex. “We weren’t good enough in all facets of the game today to come out with a win against a quality opponent.”