Class 3 softball final four capsules

Notre Dame (26-3)

The Bulldogs enter with a five-game winning streak and have been cruising since the onset of district play, outscoring the competition 31-8.

The Bulldogs are batting .407 on the season and averaging 8.3 runs per game. Notre Dame did not have a home run during the regular season but has belted three during the postseason. Junior catcher Morgan Duschell is hitting .495 and leads seven batters in the starting lineup with averages better than .400. She leads the team with 35 runs and is tied with sophomore shortstop Madison Landeros for second in RBIs with 24. Junior third baseman Lily Dohogne leads the squad with 27 RBIs. Landeros leads Notre Dame with 11 doubles, six triples and a .737 slugging percentage.

Senior Halylie Santos leads the pitching staff with a 17-2 record and 1.82 ERA. Junior Ellie Retz is 9-1 with a 1.24 ERA.

The Bulldogs are making their seventh final four appearance, but first since 2010. Notre Dame won its only Class 3 softball title in 2009.

Helias Catholic (21-9)

The Crusaders have won five of their last six games, including an 18-7 thumping of Logan-Rogersville in the quarterfinals. The win followed three consecutive one-run wins for Helias, which squeaked past Southern Boone (6-5) and Boliver (1-0) in district play before nipping Sullivan (5-4) in the sectional round.

Helias is batting .372 on the season, with senior shortstop Lauren Morrow leading the way with a .506 average and a team-high seven home runs. Her 25 RBIs are second only to senior catcher Grace Dittmer, who has 26. Dittmer is second to Morrow with a .416 average. Senior first baseman Jordyn Nappier (.284) is third on the squad with 23 RBIs and is tied with senior outfielder Kaylie LeCuru (.384) for the team lead in doubles with 10.

Junior Lindsey Steinbeck is the team's No. 1 pitcher with a 13-5 record and a 3.59 ERA. She pitches to contact, with just 40 strikeouts over 122 2/3 innings. Other pitchers for the Crusaders are freshman Abbi Pringer (3-2, 2.45 ERA) and senior Allie Ashcraft (3-2, 4.15).

St. Joseph Lafayette (22-7)

The Irish have won 11 of their last 12 games, the only loss a 5-4, eight-inning setback to Park Hill South in the championship game of the Benton Tournament. Since the start of district play, Lafayette has outscored its four opponents 23-5. The Irish also posted two shutouts, a 2-0 win over Benton in its district title game and a 3-0 win over Harrisonville in the quarterfinals.

Lafayette is batting .353 as a team. Freshman center fielder Baylee Hoffman has made her presence felt with a team-leading 33 RBIs and a .458 average. Senior right fielder Brooklynn Wattenbarger is second with 21 RBIs and is batting .435, while junior catcher Madelyn Dollar (4.13) has a team-high three home runs and 20 RBIs.

Senior Jordan Hockaday is the backbone of the pitching staff with a 20-7 record and a 2.29 ERA. She has struck out 100 in 161 2/3 innings.

Warrenton (26-2)

The Warriors bring in a seven-game winning streak and have won 25 of 26. Their only two losses are one-run, extra inning setbacks to Timberland and most recently Bowling Green.

Warrenton brings in a lofty .430 team batting averge with junior shortstop Jennifer Janson batting .577 and five others batting over .400. Leading that group is sophomore first baseman Destinee Frost, who is hitting .487 with a team-leading 41 RBIs and four home runs. Janson is second with 34 RBIs and is second on the team with 13 stolen bases. Others key to the attack are senior left fielder Erica Rugh (.437, 23 RBIs), sophomore center fielder Kelsey Hunefeld (.416, 22 RBIs, 20 SB), senior pitcher Taylor Nordwald (.452, 26 RBIs), junior second baseman Kaylee Anderson (.438, 19 RBIs, 3 HRs), senior right fielder Amanda Lafaver (.375, 23 RBIs) and sophomore third baseman Amanda Vehlewald (.394, 22 RBIs).

Nordwald leads the pitching with a 14-1 record and 0.73 ERA. She has 67 strikeouts in 86 2/3 innings. Janson also pitches and has an 8-1 mark and 1.18 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings.

-- Jeff Breer