Solon softball falls to Wahlert Catholic in the Class 3A - Region 7 championship game
Back in the regional finals for the second time in three years, the Solon softball team was ready to shock the world against Wahlert Catholic.
Considered underdogs by many outside the school, the Spartans were excited for the chance to advance to the state softball tournament for the first time since 2016.
However, despite a valiant effort, the Golden Eagles came out on top 6-1.
"The scoreboard is not indicative of the game," said Solon coach Brad Holub. "We had a runner thrown out at home and a few other things that had they gone the other way it's a different ball game."
Through the first two innings of the game, the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
The Spartans began to loosen up in the third inning, where they strung together three hits, including an RBI single from senior Hilary Wilson.
"We knew coming in that their pitcher [Julia Roth] was pretty good," Wilson said. "She liked to throw pitches inside a lot, which we didn't see much this season. So, when I was able to jump on that pitch and drive in a run, it was awesome."
Unfortunately, the pressure intensified again when the Golden Eagles made it a 5-1 game after back-to-back RBIs.
With one last run in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Golden Eagles were headed back to Fort Dodge for the second straight season.
The Spartans' season comes to an end with a 24-14 record.
While the team would have hoped to be planning their trip to Fort Dodge right now, the summer had its fair share of positives.
In Holub's second year at the helm, the Spartans' win percentage bounced from 55.6 to 63.1.
Tuesday night's trip to the regional finals was a stark improvement over last year's postseason when they fell in the quarterfinals.
"We have a lot of good young softball players now, but we just have to learn how to get over that final hurdle," Holub said. "We have to learn how to win, how to finish teams off and how to play with a chip on our shoulders. Once we do that, the sky is the limit. It won't be us just making it to state once, it will be us making several years in a row."
As exciting as the 2023-2024 season is shaping up to be, it is bittersweet because they will not have this year's senior class along for the ride.
The team will be saying goodbye to respected veterans Wilson and Claire LaDage, two players who have been instrumental in the team's success over the years.
"Coming in as an eighth grader and being the starting third baseman, I learned a lot from my upperclassmen and coaches," Wilson said. "They showed me how to be a leader and I feel like over the past couple of years those lessons paid off. We all came together this year, fought hard and worked through everything we went through. I have had a great five years here at Solon."
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Solon softball falls to Wahlert Catholic regional championship game
