5/2/2026 Fulton, MO – The Westminster Blue Jay softball team entered this weekend's matchup against Eureka 6-8 in conference play, securing a playoff spot. What was at stake this weekend was seeding and momentum. A strong series would give the Blue Jays an easier matchup in the SLIAC tournament and plenty of momentum going into the most important time of the year.
Game 1: L, 2-5
In game one, offense was hard to come by early. Righty Madison Plybon shut down Eureka's bats, allowing just two runs through the early innings. The Jays struggled at the plate early, scoring just once through six innings. In the seventh inning, down by one run, Chloe Ferguson smoked a solo home run to tie things up and send the game to extras. Unfortunately, in the ninth, Eureka finally got to Plybon, scoring three, and Westminster's bats could not get another big hit. The Blue Jays lost the series opener 2-5.
Game 2: W, 6-5
Game two of the series was a complete turnaround from the first game. Both teams were scoring early and often. Eureka put up a run in the opening frame against starter Peityn Thomas. The Blue Jays answered with two of their own in the bottom half, and then another run in the second, thanks to a Felicity Kirby solo shot on her senior day. Over the next two innings, Eureka scored four runs, putting them back on top 4-3. However, Payton Duddenhoefer would come in out of relief and shut down Eureka's offense, pitching 3.2 innings of shutout softball. The early scoring Blue Jay offense had now gone quiet, not scoring after the second inning, and once again entered the seventh needing a rally to keep the game alive. The Jays rallied to load the bases, and down to their last out,
Maddie Clubb reached on an error, bringing in two to tie things up—the very next batter,
Amber Dierling, singled to left field, bringing in the game-winning run. The Jays won this one in walkoff fashion and ended their regular season in as good a way as possible.
The Blue Jays will go on to play MUW in the SLIAC semifinals in Mississippi on May 4. Westminster enters the tournament as the #5 seed, MUW as the #4. In their previous matchup, Westminster was swept by the MUW. They will need to ride their wave of walkoff momentum to upset the Owls and advance to the SLIAC semifinals.
