By Levi Payton

sports@joplinglobe.com

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Seneca Indians will not repeat as the Class 3 District 12 softball champions in 2007.

Carl Junction knocked the Indians off 1-0 on Thursday, and Webb City thumped McDonald County 9-0 in the second game.

The No. 1-seeded Bulldogs and No. 2 Cardinals are set to square off in the district championship at 1 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s pretty big,” CJ coach Brad Shorter said. “Just getting (to the championship) is pretty important — especially in this sport — because you give yourself an opportunity.”

The Bulldogs will have their hands full with Webb City. The Cardinals had little trouble scoring runs against the 21-5 Mustangs.

Cardinals roll to shutout

As strange as it appears, one strike could have changed the entire complexion of the Cardinals’ win. Granted, they still might have defeated the Mustangs, but Brooke Poulson’s two-run single in the first inning certainly set the tone for the rest of the game.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Mustangs pitcher Tara Higgins quickly jumped ahead of Poulson with two strikes. But Poulson laced a line drive through the right side of the infield to score a pair of runs.

“I was real nervous,” Poulson said. “It was a two-strike pitch and she threw it outside, so I went with it like Coach (Walter Resa) told me to. Thankfully, it got us two runs.”

Amber Hayden stole home on the next pitch to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.

“If our girls come in here playing like this, we’re capable of hitting the ball like that,” Resa said. “Brooke Poulson’s the one that got us going with that hit. They make a catch and get that out and this was likely a different ball game.”

Cardinals pitcher Nicole Hudson took the bats out of the Mustangs’ hands by allowing just two hits while striking out 14.

Despite battling an injured right wrist, Hudson seemed to get stronger as the game progressed. She struck out the side in the sixth and seventh.