CALEDONIA — The Cavaliers softball team took down Kosciusko 3-1 on Thursday, a game that decided the Class 4A Region 3 championship. Head coach Andy Finch’s team currently boasts a 20-4 overall record, finishing district at 7-1 to claim their second-straight title.
The Whippets snapped the Cavs’ 11-game winning streak on Tuesday, which putting the pressure on Caledonia going into the return fixture.
Madison Richardson, Kaliya Neal and Camryn Higginbotham each provided RBI hits for the Cavaliers, and pitcher Kennedy Trotter went the distance with five strikeouts and four hits allowed in a seven-inning performance in the circle for Caledonia. She was aided by a strong defense, limiting the Whippets to just one and holding onto the two-run advantage needed to claim the district crown.
“We went to Kosciusko and lost by one run on Tuesday, and we knew then we needed to win by two to win district,” Finch said. “The girls just answered the call. They knew we had to win by two and kept the pressure on early. We would have liked to score more runs, but our defense did a good job, and Kennedy kept us in the game by keeping the ball around the plate and getting outs for us.”
The Cavs’ defensive prowess has helped them win several games this season, which Finch credits to the team’s experience in advancing to the third round of the playoffs a year ago.
“The experience has helped a lot, and we’ve won several games by one run this year and beat some talented teams,” he said. “Having that playoff run last year has helped the girls with finishing ball games and finishing strong with a good stretch. Good teams get stronger at the end of the season, and these girls have played a lot of games together from growing up and now high school. It’s fun watching them continue to grow and get better, even from last year.”
The Cavs are set to play East Central and Lake in their final two regular-season games, with the former being a favorite to win the 5A championship. It’s a difficult test before the postseason, but Finch is looking to fine-tune before starting what he hopes is another deep playoff run.
“We want to see a little more production from our pitchers and from the lineup. Going into the playoffs, you’ve got to be good, you’ve got to get hot and also be lucky. We’re trying to heat up now so we can make a deep run.”
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