By Anvil Welch

awelch@joplinglobe.com

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Webb City, one pitch away from stunning Blue Springs in a semifinal game of the MSHSAA Class 4 Softball Championships, instead fell victim to the Wildcats 6-5 in nine innings on Friday night.

The Cardinals had taken a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth, only to see Blue Springs get off the deck.

“We jumped on them (taking a 3-0 lead in the fourth),” Webb City coach Walter Resa said. “But Blue Springs battled back. They’re 30-0 for a reason. They kept on battling.

“The effort was there,” Resa said of the Cardinals. “It will be difficult to step back in and play. But the girls want to take the taste of defeat out of their mouths.”

The Cardinals did, too, by remaining on Field 2 of Heritage Park and overwhelmed Francis Howell Central 12-0 in five innings.

Webb City, 29-4, had been hoping to avenge a 5-2 loss in eight innings to Blue Springs in the final of the Joplin Tournament early in the season.

Webb City took its lead in the top of the ninth off freshman sensation Kelsey Kessler on an error allowing Breanna Baker to reach, a sacrifice by Brooklyn Farrell and a two-out single by Kylie Jones.

But Blue Springs got a one-out single from Bria Taylor to start its rally.

Taylor advanced to second on Ashtin Stevens’ grounder for the second out.

Mackenszie Sykes then missed by inches a game-tying, extra-base into the left field before she singled softly into center to tie it.

Sykes swiped second and came home on Jocelyn Price’s single to right to win it.

Sykes finished with three hits. Amanda Self’s pair for the Wildcats included a two-run homer in the fourth that broke the shutout against senior right-hander Nicole Hudson.

Webb City’s fourth was keyed by a walk to Hudson and Morgan Coleman’s two-run homer drilled to left-center.