St. Elizabeth tops Gallatin, clinches back-to-back state championships

St. Elizabeth Softball had history on its mind in Springfield.

The Hornets (28-7) claimed its second straight state title for the first time in program history, earning a 4-1 win over Gallatin (18-14) in a rematch of last year's MSHSAA Class 1 Softball Championship.

After allowing a leadoff home run to Gallatin's Brynn Bird, starting pitcher Azlynn Wyatt settled down in the circle, retiring 21 of the last 24 batters she faced. Overall, the freshman right-hander limited the Bulldogs to just one run on four hits with seven strikeouts in a complete game effort.

Despite falling behind 1-0, the Hornets quickly erased their first-inning deficit. Charlize Duemmel delivered an RBI single to score the tying run in the home half of the frame. Then, St. Elizabeth turned that 1-1 tie into a three-run advantage with a pair of home runs from Olivia Oligschlaeger and Kinley Kemna in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.

Kemna accounted for half of the team's hits, finishing 2-for-3 with her 17th home run of the season and two RBI's.

St. Elizabeth is locked in a three-way tie for the second-most state championships (6) in MSHSAA history, joining Jefferson (Conception) and Fatima.