It was a game the Helias Lady Crusaders might have wanted to forget.
But it was one that may have gotten them to where they are today -- the Class 4 softball semifinals.
On Oct. 3, Helias jumped out to an early 4-0 lead against Capital City. But the Lady Cavaliers didn’t quit and rallied for a 5-4 victory against the Lady Crusaders.
It may have been the wake-up call Helias needed as it will take a six-game winning streak into today’s Class 4 semifinal game against Washington. First pitch is scheduled for noon at the Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.
“We’ve been in a good place since then,” Helias coach Kelly Fick said. “It sent the tone for the rest of the season.
“When you lose in the fashion that we did, against a district and a conference opponent, I don’t know if we were humbled, but there was an element of that. It taught us a lesson when you jump out on a good team, and Capital City was a very good team, you need to keep going.”
Practice the day following the loss was memorable.
“We challenged them to get better and I think that next practice after that game was maybe our best of the year,” Fick said. “You can’t give away at-bats, you can’t give away pitches, you can’t give away outs. And it was a combination of those three that led to them rallying to win that game.”
The semifinal will pit the top two ranked teams in Class 4. Washington (33-3) tops the rankings, while Helias (27-6) holds down the No. 2 position.
It will be the second meeting of the season between the Lady Crusaders and the Blue Jays. Back on Aug. 27, Helias defeated Washington 11-3 in the title game of the Sullivan Tournament.
Trailing 3-0, Helias scored nine times in the bottom of the fourth inning against Washington. A grand slam by Kendyll Rackers was a key blow in the inning.
But with that game being two months ago, there’s probably not a lot to be taken away from that meeting.
“To have our own information helps a little bit, we did some scouting for that game,” Fick said. “But it was early in the year, game 5 in a two-day tournament, I don’t know if those circumstances played out again, Washington would react the same.”
That early-season win against the defending state champion Blue Jays was a big confidence boost for the Lady Crusaders. Helias had three freshmen and two sophomores in the starting lineup that afternoon as the Lady Crusaders had to replace its entire infield, as well as an outfield spot, from the 2021 season.
“Along the way this season, the younger ones have learned how to handle success, handle failure,” Fick said.
And they’ve learned how to prepare.
“That’s the biggest piece,” Fick said. “They’ve bought in what it takes in practice day-in and day-out to prepare for games.”
So far, it hasn’t appeared there have been too many moments that were too big for the younger players.
“I don’t know if they don’t know any better,” Fick said with a laugh. “But I know it’s a supportive group that genuinely pulls for each other. The team unity and camaraderie has been great and I truly believe that’s a big reason why we’ve had the success we’ve had this season.”
Helias has just two seniors -- Molly Berkey and Arica Ketcherside.
Berkey, a verbal commit to Lindenwood, has been Helias’ ace in the circle.
Since the start of the district tournament, Berekey has allowed two earned runs on six hits and seven walks in 21 innings while recording 35 strikeouts.
Berkey, the lone current Lady Crusader who was a member of the Class 3 state champions in 2019, is 12-4 in 19 starts this season with a 1.15 ERA in 110 innings. She has walked 49 and struck out 190 batters.
She did not pitch the game against Washington this season. Cambri Van Loo, a sophomore, went the distance to get the win in that game. Van Loo has a record of 13-2 with a 3.36 ERA.
“When we throw strikes and we play good defense, we’re tough,” Fick said.
Ketcherside is in her second season of softball at Helias after running cross country the previous two years. She is a reserve outfielder and pinch-hitter.
“Where she’s come in this short of time is amazing because this sport is not easy,” Fick said.
Helias is hitting .357 as a team and averages 6.7 runs per game in what has been a versatile offense.
“We play the short game if we need to, we can go first to third, we can steal bases, or we can hit with some power,” Fick said. “That creates options for us when we need to score.”
Helias leadoff hitter Karoline Klebba tops the team with 52 hits, seven triples, 39 runs scored, 21 stolen bases and a .510 average.
Berkey is second in the Helias order. She is hitting .374 with a team-high 16 doubles and 36 RBI. She also has four home runs.
Rackers, the No. 3 hitter in the order, leads Helias with eight home runs. She is hitting .400 with 35 RBI and has homered in Helias’ last two games.
“Kendyll’s been locked-in,” Fick said.
In its four postseason games, Helias has trailed for just one half of an inning.
“When you get on the board first, that helps everybody settle in,” Fick said.
Fick believes the Lady Crusaders are ready for what promises to be tough game today.
“I think so,” he said. “This time of the year, nothing is easy. But we’ve been in different type of ballgames all season and we’ve won them in different ways. I think we’re prepared.
“If you trust your preparation and our plan, we should have some success.”
The other semifinal, also scheduled for noon, will pit Kearney (24-8) against Warrenton (16-8).
The semifinal losers will come back to play for third at 3 p.m. today, while the winner’s move to the title game at 10 a.m. Friday.
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