Lady Hornets face Silex in quarterfinals after 10-inning thriller

The St. Elizabeth Lady Hornets have been the comeback queens of the Class 1 postseason.

A softball district title game against state-ranked Vienna looked lost when the Lady Hornets were down 3-2 going into the seventh. Instead, the team pulled out a 5-3 win.

That game didn't compare to the sectional contest against New Franklin. Down 10-1 after three innings, Emily Wilde came alive on the mound and the bats sprung into action to turn a nine-run deficit into an 11-10 win in a 10-inning thriller.

Now, the Lady Hornets (17-7) face Silex (20-2) on the road at 1 p.m. today in the Class 1 quarterfinals.

Silex's only losses were to Class 2 district champion Elsberry and Class 3 Winfield. The Owls beat Clopton 2-1 in Class 1 District 8 semifinals before a 14-4 win over Van-Far to win the state crown. Silex beat Northeast (Cairo) 10-0 in the sectional round.

Taylor Howard pitched a shutout in the sectional round and is the ace for the Lady Owls. For the Lady Hornets, Wilde will likely get the ball at some point in the contest. She's started games and worked out of the bullpen. Tasia Green is the bat to watch for St. Elizabeth. She is a Columbia College commit and was 1-for-1 at the plate with an RBI double against New Franklin before she was walked in her next five at bats.