Lady Eagles Seeded No. 1 In District Tournament

The Lady Eagles are in familiar territory.

It is said that tradition never graduates when it comes to Sullivan softball and nothing is more traditional than a district tournament with the Lady Eagles on top.

The Class 3 District 7 bracket begins Wednesday at St. Francis Borgia Regional High School and Sullivan is the No. 1 seed.

Winning the tournament — which would be Sullivan’s 12th straight — is just part of the prize because the Lady Eagles are after the state championship. 

Sullivan will meet the winner of fourth-seeded Union and fifth-seeded Owensville on Thursday at 2 p.m.

Borgia is the second seed and faces the winner of third-seeded Pacific and sixth-seeded St. Clair at 4 p.m.

The championship is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start on Friday.

Sullivan entered 2019 with sky-high expectations. The Lady Eagles are looking to make good on what they started three Octobers ago when they finished second in Class 3.

With a 20-5 record going into the regular season finale, Sullivan has all the tools necessary to win. They are led at the plate and in the circle by senior Addison Purvis. Purvis has hit .704 with a 1.463 slugging average, 11 home runs and 38 RBIs. 

Opponents are hitting a feeble .093 against her in 63.1 innings. She’s racked up 137 strikeouts and limited the opposition to 16 walks. She’s been scored upon in just five of 16 appearances and has a 0.77 ERA.

A pair of .400 hitters flank Purvis in the lineup. Senior Hannah Cox is hitting .488 with 13 home runs and a team-high 51 RBIs. Hanna Johanning has compiled a .410 average with four homers, 16 doubles and 29 RBIs.

Madyson Stahl is hitting .385. Freshman catcher Kayla Ulrich has burst on the scene to hit .384 and Sophia Weirich has played herself into the lineup with a .367 average. Senior Kloey Blanton is hitting .360 and going into Thursday’s tilt against Rolla, hit safely in 14 of her last 15 games with 15 hits.

Sullivan has feasted on all five possible district opponents. They lashed Borgia 17-1 in the season opener on September 4. Sullivan defeated Owensville 19-1, St. Clair 15-0 and Pacific 10-0. Union is the only team that kept it close, falling 6-0.

Up Next

The winner advances to sectionals on Wednesday, October 23 against the District 8 champion. Wright City is the No. 1 seed and defending Class 3 champion Mexico is seeded second.

Quarterfinals are Saturday, October 26.