MOKANE, Mo. - The New Bloomfield Lady Wildcats softball team earned first place at the South Callaway Tournament after beating the Eugene Lady Eagles 2-1 in nine innings during the championship game on Saturday.
With the score tied 1-all in the top of the ninth inning, senior third baseman Kate Baxter drove a one-out single to right. Baxter went to second when junior shortstop Madi Craighead hit a single to right.
Senior first baseman Madison Love scored Baxter by hitting a single to left to give New Bloomfield (13-1) a 2-1 lead.
The Lady Wildcats scored their first run in the fourth and Eugene sent the game into extra innings after scoring a run in the seventh.
Sophomore Kaylee Beck (11-0) went the distance to pick up the win. She allowed an earned run on six hits, struck out 12 and did not allow a walk.
Love went 1-for-4 with a run batted in as New Bloomfield totaled six hits. Baxter went 1-for-4 with a run scored, while Craighead went 1-for-4 with a run scored. Junior catcher Shelby Ruppel was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
In the Lady Wildcats' second game of the tournament earlier in the day, New Bloomfield beat the Fulton Lady Hornets 2-0.
Beck threw a two-hit shutout, struck out four and did not allow a walk.
New Bloomfield scored a run in the top of the third and one in the seventh. Baxter went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored as the Lady Wildcats collected eight hits. Senior right fielder Rylee Rackers was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
In their opening game of the tournament Saturday morning, Love - who was the starter - threw a no-hitter in the Lady Wildcats' 15-0, three-inning romp of the Mark Twain Lady Tigers. Love (2-1) struck out four and walked one.
New Bloomfield scored eight in the bottom of the first, six in the second and one in the third. Craighead went 2-for-2 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored as the Lady Wildcats totaled eight hits. Beck - who played first base in the opening game - was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored and Baxter was 1-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored.
New Bloomfield plays a Show-Me Conference game at Linn at 5 p.m. today.