Carlton dazzles, Advance softball reclaims district gold in steady fight

With a district championship trophy and a spot in the state quarterfinals on the line, Addison Carlton and her Advance Hornets didn’t disappoint.

Opening the game with three runs in the first and some late insurance, the top-seeded Hornets dismantled the Oran Eagles en route to a 6-1 win and some long-awaited hardware.

Against one of the top teams in all of Southeast Missouri, Advance dominated wire-to-wire, making the most of just four hits with a disciplined day at the dish.

“We knew we had to be on our A game, because Oran has a great team this year and has a great program historically,” Advance coach James Hamlin said.

“We knew we had to come in and play defense, hit the ball and pitch the ball well in order to have a chance to compete, and we managed to come out and hit on all three of those aspects.”

Had it not been for a rogue cleat from the Oran plateminder in the sixth inning striking her hand, perhaps Carlton would have pitched a scoreless seventh to put a bow on her complete-game effort.

But even with the one run pushed across on a couple well-placed Oran hits in the seventh, she put together an unbelievable district championship performance to carry Advance back to the state bracket.

The junior pitcher, reportedly touting a low-60s fastball that kept Eagle batters guessing all day, allowed just five hits and two walks in the victory, striking out nine with no earned runs in the Advance book.

“She has just continued to take the ball in big spots and come up huge,” Hamlin said.

“She just continues to go out, give us quality starts and give us opportunities to win, and that's all you can ask for.”

Natalee Roper led the Advance offense in hitting with two knocks in the win, including a triple as she drove in a run, while Maggie Stubenrauch hit once while walking thrice.

In total, the Hornets drew 10 walks and two hit-by-pitches, keeping the Oran pitching honest as they slowed but surely added on in the late innings.

The Eagles actually out-hit the Hornets in the matchup, but that discipline and some timely knocks were all the difference as Advance’s slow approach kept the iron hot.

Oran, led by Kendall Burger’s hit and walk, as well as a strong day in the field, made the game look close in real-time, but squandered a couple of key baserunners in the midgame.

With a district title on the line, Advance just had the keys to executing and made the most of its opportunities, and that’s what Hamlin touched the most on in the postgame.

Bringing the district gold back for the first time since 2021, when they placed fourth in the state, it’s sweet celebration for the heralded Hornets of Advance.

"We’re super excited,” Hamlin said. “We're super excited to come out on the right end of this district championship, and we’re just gonna continue to build.”