Crescent’s Lady Tigers celebrate after sweeping through regional play to claim the Class 2A regional championship. Photo courtesy of Crescent Public Schools
Crescent’s fast-pitch softball team is only two wins away from reaching the Class 2A state tournament for the first time since 2023 after sweeping through regional play.
Next up for the Lady Tigers is a best-ofthree super regional against host Hartshorne set for Tuesday, Sept. 29.
First-year coach Stephanie Riley credits a 2-1 loss to Cashion on Sept. 15 with mo- tivating her team to play better offensive softball. Since that game, Crescent has won five straight contests by a combined score of 47-0.
“Playing and losing to Cashion, we knew (fixing the offense) was one of those steps that we needed to take,” Riley said. “We have just done things right and doing things that we know we can do instead of focusing on what other people to do.”
Riley calls it “controlling our controllables.”
“We did not play very good offense,” she said. “After we lost, we got in and worked on our offense, pitch selection, mentality, trying to keep it simple.”
It worked. The Lady Tigers closed out the regular season with wins over OCA (8-0) and Perry (12-0) then dominated Frederick 10-0, Sayre 10-0, and Frederick 7-0 to win a regional title.
Crescent (24-4) racked up 33 hits in three regional games, including three hits byAva Beaty in the opener, three hits by Kynlee Moorman in the second game and three hits by pitcher Trinity Rice in the clincher.
Beaty had a double and three RBI while Moorman scored three runs, and Rice hit a solohome run. Regan Willams added two hits, including a 2-run homer, and drove in four runs in the second game.
But it was Rice, a freshman on the 2023 state tournament team, who dominated regionals in the circle, allowing only 10 hits and two walks while striking out 27 batters in three games.
In Rice, a left-handed power pitcher, Crescent has a four-year starter who “knows what it takes in the big games” and “stays very level,” according to her coach.
“She helps keep everybody grounded,” Riley said. “They listen to her and she talks them up when they need to be talked up. She holds them accountable. She doesn’t let anybody slide; she doesn’t let herself slide.”