High School

Lafayette wins Missouri high school state softball title on walk-off home run

Riley Mulligan's 3-run homer lifts Lafayette to MSHSAA Class 5A title with help of no-hitter from Abby Carr

Cody Thorn

High school softball takes place in the fall in Missouri
High school softball takes place in the fall in Missouri / SBLive archive photo

There may not be another state high school softball championship game like the one that unfolded Friday afternoon in Springfield, Missouri.

Riley Mulligan hit a three-run walk-off home run to lift Lafayette (Wildwood) to the Class 5 title against Columbia Rock Bridge at Killian Softball Complex.

Thanks to the game-ending homer by the Army pledge, pitcher Abby Carr tossed a no-hitter for the Lancers.

The state title is the 8th overall for Lafayette and the first since 2001.

Mulligan, who went 2-for-4, smacked the winning home run over the left field wall with two outs.

Rock Bridge gave up a one-out single to Josephine Alpsaw, but Bruins’ hurler Addie Morris got a ground ball to force Alpsaw out at second.

Carr, a Missouri pledge, was intentionally walked to bring up Mulligan.

The Lancers (30-5) had two runners on in the bottom of the seventh with no outs, but Morris got out of the jam with two pop-ups and a ground ball.

The inning before, Rock Bridge’s Ava Bush robbed a home run by reaching over the fence to pull it in and then threw to second base to complete a double play and keep it 0-0.

Carr struck out 16 in the win for Lafayette, which closed the year with 12 wins in a row. 

The Lancers outscored foes 46-3 in their six postseason games. 

Rock Bridge finished the year 32-7 and saw its 17-game winning streak end, which included knocking off Class 5 No. 1-ranked Grain Valley in the district finals. Rock Bridge and Lafayette faced off back on Sept. 14 and Lafayette won that game, 7-4.

CLASS 4

Father Tolton Regional Catholic 2, Belton 0 

Father Tolton Regional Catholic is a state champion for the second time in four years.

The Trailblazers scored both runs in the sixth inning, coming with two outs against the Pirates. Montana Strobel doubled to open the inning and went to third on a bunt.

Sadie Sexauer was intentionally walked and then went to second on a defensive indifference. Solana Carpenter got a strikeout for the second out.

Junior Lexi Hoffman singled on a 2-1 count to center field to break the 0-0 game.

Belton had a chance to cut into the deficit in the bottom of the sixth.

Stephanie Levalley and Aryana Roberts both reached on an error and Makayla McConnell drew an intentional walk.

Bella Trim ended the scoring threat with a strikeout. Trim struck out 12 and gave up two hits in the victory for Tolton, which finished the season 24-10.

Belton, playing in a state title game for the first time in school history, finished 25-10.

Tolton had only 11 players on the roster this fall.

-- Cody Thorn | @sblivemo

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Cody Thorn
CODY THORN

Cody Thorn is a veteran journalist who covers high school sports across the state of Texas and Missouri. He is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has covered sports and news since 1999.

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