The 33rd District softball semifinals took place Sunday at Conner High School, where No. 1 seed Ryle defeated No. 4 Boone County, and No. 3 seed Conner knocked off No. 2 Cooper.
Here’s a closer look at the matchups:
Conner 14, Cooper 8
Where there’s Lightner, there’s thunder.
There may not have been a storm in the sky, but Averie Lightner still delivered all the thunder Conner needed in a 14-8 win over Cooper in the 33rd District semifinals in Hebron.
In a high-scoring battle, Lightner powered the Lady Cougars with two home runs, three hits, and six RBI, while also flashing the leather at shortstop. The junior scored three times and was at the heart of nearly every pivotal moment on both sides of the ball.
“Everything I do is for my team,” Lightner said. “This is what we’ve worked for all season, and everyone on this team knows it. You don’t even have to say it. We went through a lot of adversity this year, and I think people doubted us. We wanted to prove them wrong. We all knew how important this game was.”
That adversity included two regular-season losses to Cooper, both shortened to six innings. The Lady Jaguars took the first matchup 20-10 on April 2 and followed it up with a 13-0 shutout on April 21.
“It’s always hard to beat somebody three times in a season,” Cooper head coach Lee Patsel said. “Ultimately, they outplayed us and deserve the credit. Conner has been playing exceptionally well lately, and we knew we were going to get their best shot.”
With the win, Conner advances to the district championship game for the second straight year, the first time that’s happened since 2014–15, and clinches a spot in the 9th Region tournament.
The key goes beyond what happens on the field.
“Each year we work on the culture,” Conner head coach Shawn Sproles said. “That means taking pride in playing for the name on the front of your shirt. I let them be a little loose — they wear their hats and have fun — but the agreement is, as long as they battle through adversity, don’t quit, and play hard, they can have all the fun they want. We’re a loose and fun bunch.”
That energy radiated from the dugout and showed up on the scoreboard.
“I have the time of my life,” Lightner said. “I love this team so much, and I love the dugout. I love our culture that we’ve been building since day one, and I’m so grateful for the girls before us and girls under us who have helped do it. I have the most fun with this team and being in the dugout. It’s my favorite part of the day.”
Lightner wasted no time making an impact, launching a home run in the first inning to give Conner a 3-0 lead.
Cooper responded quickly. The Lady Jaguars rallied to take a 5-3 lead in the third, then added three more in the fifth. The one in between changed everything.
Kayla and Ellie Ortiz sparked the comeback with back-to-back hits. Kayla tied it at five with an RBI single, and Ellie followed with a two-run double to give Conner a 7-5 lead in the fourth frame.
Kayla Ortiz finished with two hits, a triple, three runs, an RBI and stolen base. Ellie Ortiz racked up four hits, a double, three runs scored, and three RBI.
Then Lightner delivered the knockout blow.
With two runners on, she crushed her second homer of the night, blowing the game wide open. Conner scored seven runs in the fourth inning to make it a 10-5 game.
“The biggest momentum shift came with that three-run shot,” Patsel said. “That one felt like more air out of our sails than usual.”
Conner added four more runs in the sixth to seal the deal.
Eighth grader Jocelyn Ortiz pitched a complete game, allowing just three walks while striking out three of the 36 batters she faced.
For Cooper, Alivia Scott doubled and drove in two runs. Eighth grader Kinley Johnson added two hits, a double, and an RBI. Kaitlyn Furnish led the team with three hits, and Ainsley Scroggie chipped in a triple, but the Lady Jaguars were hampered by five errors.
Conner (10-17) moves on to face top-seeded Ryle in the district championship Monday at 5:30 p.m., back on their home field.
Cooper finishes the season at 10-21 and graduates just one senior.
Photo gallery below, provided by Charles Bolton:
LADY COUGARS 14, LADY JAGUARS 8
CONNER— 300-704-0 — 14-12-3
COOPER — 014-030-0 — 8-11-5
RBI — (Con.) Lightner 6, E. Ortiz 3, K. Ortiz, Irvin, Morgan (Coo.) Scott 2, Johnson
2B — (Con.) E. Ortiz (Coo.) Johnson, Scott
3B — (Con.) K. Ortiz, (Coo.) Scroggie
HR — Lightner 2
WP — J. Ortiz. LP — Spraker.
Records: Conner 10-17, Cooper 10-21
Ryle 10, Boone County 0
It didn’t take a full seven innings for Ryle to punch its ticket back to the 33rd District championship game.
After falling just short of a title appearance last season in a heartbreaking extra-innings loss, the Lady Raiders left no doubt this time. Ryle cruised past Boone County, 10-0, in a five-inning run-rule victory Sunday.
It was a complete team effort. Seven different Lady Raiders scored at least one run, seven recorded hits, and six drove in runs.
Even more impressive? Much of the damage came from underclassmen.
Freshmen Leah Broussard and Kiley Patterson combined for four hits and three RBI. Broussard went a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI and stolen base, while Patterson added a two-run double that helped break the game open in the second inning — part of a four-run outburst.
Rayne Patsel and Kam Patterson also collected two hits apiece. Hannah Dunn added an RBI single, and Korlin Rechtin opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first.
Ryle finished with 11 hits, stole five bases, and played error-free defense.
In the circle, Laci DeLauder tossed a complete-game one-hitter, striking out seven and walking three over five shutout innings.
Annabeth Lewis recorded the lone hit for the Lady Rebels. Alivia Miller started in the circle for Boone County, and Dani Wright pitched the final 2.2 innings, striking out four.
Ryle (16-8) will look to claim its first district championship since 2023 on Monday evening in Hebron. The Lady Raiders split the regular-season series with Conner, falling 10-3 on April 23 and edging out a 9-8 win on May 12.
Boone County wraps up its season at 7-22. The Lady Rebels graduate three seniors, including standout pitcher Dani Wright, who closes her career with 69 starts, 389.6 innings pitched, 526 strikeouts, 24 wins, and 7,853 pitches thrown.
Photo gallery below, provided by Charles Bolton:
LADY RAIDERS 10, LADY REBELS 0
BOONE COUNTY — 000-00x-x — 0-1-5
RYLE — 140-14x-x — 10-11-0
RBI — (R) Ki. Patterson 2, Broussard, Dunn, Patsel, Rechtin, Roland
2B — (R) Broussard 2, Gehring, Ki. Patterson, Patsel
WP — DeLauder. LP — Miller.
Records: Ryle 16-8, Boone County 7-22