After pushing through the district tournament, the Warrenton Warriors softball team has reached the Class 4 state quarterfinals riding a nine-game winning streak, and now sit at 18-10 on the year.

The state quarterfinal game against Incarnate Word (16-11) is scheduled for Thursday, October 21 at 4 p.m. at Incarnate. The path to the state quarterfinals included a 15-0 victory over Ladue, a 10-0 win over Hannibal, and a 6-4 win over a Parkway North team that entered the game with a record of 19-5.

Warriors coach Chad Berrey took no chances in the first district game, sending senior Kathryn McChristy to the mound in what became a 15-0 three inning victory over Ladue.

Kaylen Reynolds went 1 for 3 with a homer and had four RBIs and three runs scored. Kaylin Haas went 3-3 with two runs and one RBI, while Kiersten Anderson, Kiera Daniel and McChristy each had two RBIs.

“You never want to take your first opportunity lightly, so I threw my ace,” he said. “You have to get past round one, and while it was only three innings, she threw a no-hitter.”

Next up was the 10-0 win over Hannibal, another mercy rule victory that was pitched by sophomore Kylie Witthaus.

“She only allowed two hits and our defense was working on all cylinders,” said Berrey, who noted that the Warriors have played five straight games with no errors.

At the plate, Warrenton had 12 hits, led by Haas and McChristy who had three apiece. Anderson had two hits and two RBIs.
The district final against a strong Parkway North team was a much bigger challenge for the Warriors, with McChristy back on the mound in the 6-4 win.

McChristy was charged with two earned runs, while striking out nine and walking two.

The Warriors trailed 4-3 after the third inning and responded with three runs in the fourth.

Mackenzie Hurst went 2-3 with two homers and had three RBIs and three runs. McChristy helped herself with four hits and two RBIs, while Haas scored twice.

“In a championship game, nerves can take over — that’s for sure. But Parkway North is a very educated program. We saw them doing their homework at a couple of our games,” said Berrey. “They had stats on every batter, they were shifting to our tendencies and kind of shut down some of our hitters. They’re a very well coached, educated, and intense team.”

The Warriors also came in well-prepared, though, and sent an early message defensively thanks to sophomore catcher Maddisyn Hoelscher. “I think they ran on every pitch they could, but Maddisyn threw out the first one of the game,” said Berrey. “They had over 100 stolen bases on the season. They run on everybody, but Maddisyn did a good job throwing out the first one. That was pretty huge to start the game.”

With the Warriors enjoying a nice winning streak, Berrey credits the team for coming together after a 0-4 start to the year at the Troy Tournament.

“They were not all on the same page coming into Troy, but we slowly started to work on culture to make sure we were more cohesive,” he said. “As we went on, they started to mesh a lot more. The last month it’s been incredibly fun. We coaches don’t want it to end, it’s the most fun we’ve had as a coaching staff — and that’s a direct reflection on the fun the girls are having with each other. Our culture has helped us with this momentum.”

Berrey also was quick to point out just how much the staff values the parents this season.

“We’ve never had a group of parents that were so impactful to the culture of our team,” he said. “I want to give kudos to the parents for sure for helping us get on the same page.”