BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com
The Exeter softball team walked off with a new title on April 16 — Ozark 7 Conference champion.
The Lady Tigers (12-6) won their first ever conference hardware with an 8-7 home win over College Heights with McAuley Catholic.
“This is a long time coming for our program, school and community,” said Ashley Fly, Exeter softball coach. “We have set this goal for a while and fell short, so winning it this year is bittersweet. This group of girls have learned how to fight through adversity to accomplish their goals. They were excited and proud of their accomplishment. We have used this goal to keep building, getting better, and working hard.”
Exeter has had a softball program for many years, but spring seasons and the Ozark 7 former in 2013, with the Lady Tigers as one of the original schools. The conference now consists of Exeter, College Heights with McAuley, Verona and Wheaton.
Against College Heights, the Lady Tigers were down 7-4 going into the final frame, then a hitting rally brought the score to 7-6.
“We had 2 outs with Natalie Crumpler up to bat,” Fly said. “She had two strikes, shortened up and hit a 2-run home run that cleared the fence by 15 feet. It was a surreal moment, I knew it was out by the sound it made when it came off the bat.
“It was so high I lost it and had no clue until someone told me where it landed. It took a while for all of us to realize what had happened and that we really had scored enough runs to win.”
Exeter defeated Verona, 20-2, on the road on April 1, as well as Wheaton, 11-1 on the road on April 11. The win over College Heights made the Lady Tigers undefeated in conference play.
The Verona win was the last of a four-game win streak, snapped by Ash Grove at its tournament. Exeter, as of Friday, was on a three-game win streak following an April 12 loss to Purdy.
“We have put together a few win streaks this season,” Fly said. “Our goal with those are to keep working hard and improving. Along with just relaxing, setting goals and having fun has contributed to the win streaks.”
The nine-team Class 1, District 5 Tournament begins on Thursday, with No. 3 Exeter facing No. 6 Blue Eye at 5:30 p.m. in Purdy.
Fly said for the Lady Tigers to keep the hardware coming, day-by-day survival will be the name of the game.
“We will have to come to play, everyone will be ready to play and survive another day,” she said. “We know we will have a tough district with Ash Grove, Purdy and Crane. We will have to come to play and compete.”
The rest of the field will see No. 1 Ash Grove face the winner of No. 8 Verona and No. 9 Wheaton, No. 4 Crane faces No. 5 Billings, and No. 2 Purdy plays No. 7 Hurley.
Regardless of the district tournament results, Fly said this season has been one for the books.
“Congratulations to the girls — this was a huge accomplishment,” she said. “These girls have continued the path that has been set before them but also have paved the way for all of the girls for years to come.
“The history made on [April 16] will be memories, players, parents, the community and fans will remember forever.”
