Kelly softball team faces Brookfield in Class 2 semifinals

Kelly senior Jessica Worth was pleased when she found out Brookfield would be the her team's semifinal opponent at the Class 2 final four.

"Oh yes, very much so," Worth said. "I am ready to go back and beat them to be all honest. I know two years ago I thought we were better. Not trying to cut them down or nothing, but I thought we had a good shot, and I'm just ready to go back for revenge."

Brookfield (25-5) defeated the Hawks 7-6 in the third-place game at the 2010 final four. Kelly (22-4) committed nine errors in the game and trailed 7-1 after five innings.

The rematch will start at 11 a.m. today at the Killian Softball Complex in Springfield, Mo.

"I remember both teams hit, and we made a lot of errors," said Kelly coach Rhonda Ratledge about the teams' last meeting. "Definitely we're a more solid team this year, even in the lineup. So we've been real proud of these girls because they've come through with the bats and definitely put the pressure on the other team when they needed to. That's what counts."

Kelly has a team batting average of .331 this season.

"Actually, in 20 years, this is probably my strongest hitting team as far as up and down the lineup with all nine batters," Ratledge said. "Usually we have about four or five and we use the other ones who maybe aren't as strong, upper body and stuff, as bunters. We've always been strong with bunters and moving runners that way.

"This year we've just been really strong with hitting. It's worked for us, and that's what we've let them do is just hit instead of playing small ball. Usually, a lot of years Kelly was known for small ball. This year the girls are hitting."

Worth, the team's first baseman, leads Kelly with a .413 batting average and 21 RBIs. Freshman pitcher Alexis Dock, the No. 3 hitter in the lineup, is batting .405 and is tied with Worth for the team lead in RBIs.

"They just really settled in and kind of listened to summer coaches and us here in the fall," Ratledge said about her team's offensive success. "We do a lot of tee work, weighted balls -- take hundreds of swings every single day. There's not a day that goes by that they're not taking over 100 swings. They really watch and pay attention that they're not getting into the bad habits. You can take 100 swings and swing it wrong. So definitely they've paid attention to their core areas and staying level and head in and driving that ball solid. Our motto this year is just, ‘Hit with authority.'"

The other semifinal matchup also features a familiar name. Palmyra (25-4), a regular Kelly nemesis at the final four, will face off against Pleasant Hope (26-2) at 11 a.m. as well.

Palmyra, the defending state champion, has advanced to the final four each of the last five times Kelly has and has beat the Hawks twice in that span -- in a 2007 semifinal and the 2008 championship.

"The girls know," Ratledge said about the rivalry. "You mention Palmyra and everybody knows. You don't have to sit there and drill it. They already know."

Like Kelly, Brookfield has two pitchers who see regular time in the circle.

Brookfield junior Samantha Overton is 14-4 with 88 strikeouts and a 2.16 ERA over 116 2/3 innings this season, while sophomore Taylor Ewing is 9-1 with 78 strikeouts and a 1.13 ERA over 70 1/3 innings.

Brookfield hits .296 as a team and is led offensively by junior Alesa Frey, who bats .412 and has 21 RBIs.

Dock has a 10-1 record for Kelly this season. She's struck out 64 batters over 85 2/3 innings. Sophomore Kristi Brucker is 10-3 with 58 strikeouts and a 1.45 ERA.

Five starters in Kelly's projected lineup are freshmen or sophomores.

Worth said she was never worried about the team's youth because Ratledge coached much of the team since they were young and because they played together over the summer.

"I knew that they were prepared to step onto a varsity field, so I felt pretty confident in us," Worth said.

The third-place game will be played at 3 p.m. today, while the championship game will be played at noon Saturday.

"I am very competitive," Worth said. "It's not go up there, ‘If you mess up, you mess up. It's just a game.' I want to take first. I want to come home with first place. You have to have fun and play and everything, but I want to bring home that win so bad."