STATE CHAMPS: Diamond wins class 2 title over Kennett 8-5

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Diamond High School softball takes down Kennett 8-5 in 8 innings to win the class 2 state championship on Tuesday afternoon.

The Wildcats trailed 5-3 in the top of the 7th inning, but scored two runs to tie the game at five.

Diamond catcher Grace Frazier then caught a runner stealing in the bottom of the 7th to force extra innings.

In the top of the 8th, Caitlyn Suhrie hits a 2-RBI single into left field. After a fielding error on the same play, Suhrie scores as well, and the Wildcats take an 8-5 lead.

Suhrie then completes a 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th inning in the circle, punctuated by a strikeout for the game's final out.

"I just try to keep encouraging the girls," Wildcat head coach Kelsey Parrish says. "That's a team that buys in and they don't give up. They're going to play their hearts out until the last pitch."

"Our team has a lot of grit," Suhrie says. "We put ourselves in situations in practice to try to work through this stuff... working through tough times on the field."

This is Diamond's second softball state championship in the last three years.

The Wildcats finish the 2024 season with a record of 38-1. Their lone loss came to Frontenac (KS). Diamond did not lose to a team from Missouri for the entire season.

Check out the highlights from the Wildcats' comeback victory in the above video.

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