Picking up where they left off last season, the Washington High School varsity softball team is off to a red-hot start to the 2022 campaign.
Washington, the defending Class 4 state champions, owns a 20-2 record after recently winning titles at the Seckman and Suburban Shootout Tournaments.
Seckman Tournament
The Lady Jays, led by head coach Grant Young and assistant coach Tim Zumsteg, cruised to a first-place finish at the Seckman Tournament on September 9-10. They picked up pool play victories over Ft. Zumwalt West 11-1, Seckman 6-0, and Pacific 14-2 before knocking off St. Dominic in the championship game, 10-0.
Washington belted eight home runs by six different players during its four games of the Seckman Tournament.
Myla Inman and Grace Molitor both homered twice and Christine Gerling, Emily Bruckerhoff, Taylor Brown and Kendall Nix each had one home run.
Washington pitching allowed just three runs during the Seckman Tournament. Taylor Brown earned wins over Ft. Zumwalt West and St. Dominic. Lauren Opfer shut out Seckman. Lacy Monzyk got the win over Pacific.
Also contributing for the Lady Jays have been Maddie Guevara, Kelsie Holtmeyer, Elizabeth Reed, Loren Thurmon and Ella Lause.
Suburban Shootout
Washington continued its momentum into the Suburban Shootout, hosted by Webster Groves High School, on September 12-14.
The Lady Jays opened the event on September 12 with wins over Kirkwood 8-1 and Webster Groves, 16-1.
Brown pitched the first five innings against Kirkwood for the win, registering 13 strikeouts and allowing one hit. Monzyk tossed the final two frames. Guevara collected three hits while Brown, Molitor and Thurmon each had two.
Opfer pitched a four-inning shutout against Webster Groves, allowing one hit. Guevara and Lause led a balanced offensive attack with two hits apiece. Reed belted a home run and had three RBIS.
The competition got tougher for Washington on September 13 with a pair of district rivals on the docket in the championship bracket.
The Lady Jays notched a 5-1 victory over Hillsboro in the quarterfinals.
Opfer pitched all seven innings against Hillsboro for the win, allowing one unearned run on five hits with four strikeouts. Monzyk and Gerling both had two hits for Washington. Holtmeyer added one hit and scored a run.
In the tournament semifinals, Washington knocked off Rockwood Summit, 7-5.
Brown pitched all seven innings for the win. With 21 strikeouts in the game, every out Brown registered was via the strikeout. She allowed three earned runs on five hits.
At the plate, Bruckerhoff tied the school record for career home runs with 12. She finished with a home run and two RBIs. Monzyk added two hits. Reed had one hit.
Bruckerhoff owns the school record for most home runs in a single season with seven last year.
The championship game took place on Wednesday, September 14, with the Lady Jays defeating Lafayette in nine innings, 2-1.
Brown was the winning pitcher. She's now Washington's career wins leader with 39. Bruckerhoff and Inman had RBIs for Washington. Molitor and Gerling both scored a run.
Photos from the Seckman Tournament are below.
Seckman Tournament Champions
Seckman Tournament Champions
Suburban Shootout Champions
