[Stardust]

OWENSBORO, KY. — Bridesmaids no longer.

The Mercy Academy softball team, state runner-up three times in the past 10 seasons, finally captured the crown Saturday with a 7-2 victory over Lone Oak in the final of the Rawlings/KHSAA State Tournament at Jack C. Fisher Park.

For the Jaguars, no more questions about being the best program never to win a state fast-pitch title. And for the team’s two seniors, J. J. Francis and Morgan Ellington, no more sting from losing in the 2009 and 2010 finals.

“We hugged each other and were like, ‘We finally did it,’ ” Francis said of her postgame celebration with Ellington. “Two heartbreaks later, and we finally made it.”

Mercy, which won slow-pitch titles in 1983, ’87 and ’89, finished 37-8 and outscored its five state tournament opponents 40-6.

Josh Bloomer, in his ninth season as the Jaguars’ coach, called it the most “together and caring team” he’s ever had.

“Usually at spring break we connect and become a family,” center fielder Morgan Meyer said. “This year it was the first week of conditioning in October. We just clicked and became a family right away.”

Mercy beat Boyle County 8-0 in Saturday’s winners’ bracket final and jumped out to a hot start in the final against Lone Oak (40-6).

Meyer led off the bottom of the first inning with a double and scored on Ellington’s single for a 1-0 lead. Jordan Vorbrink’s triple brought home Ellington, and Francis followed with an RBI single. Ellington’s RBI single made it 4-0 in the second.

Meyer and Vorbrink were spark plugs for Mercy throughout the tournament and earned co-MVP honors. Meyer, a junior, hit .714 (15 for 21) with nine runs and six stolen bases. Vorbrink, a freshman, hit .529 (9 for 17) with 12 RBIs and seven runs.

“Vorbrink and Meyer were just unbelievable,” Bloomer said.

Sarah Kreuter and Payton Dillon doubled leading off the sixth and eventually scored to pull Lone Oak within 4-2. But Mercy responded with three runs in the bottom half, getting an RBI single from Tori Lasley and scoring two more on an error.http://saxo.highschoolsports.net/article...le&avis=B2