GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — With Molly Jones in the circle and at the plate, Grain Valley is moving on in the postseason.
"Once we got to the fifth inning, we started counting down the outs," Jones, a junior pitcher for Grain Valley softball, said. "Okay, nine more, eight more, and we just kept going."
Grain Valley topped Blue Springs South, 7-4, in the Class 5 District 7 Final to take one more step towards a trip to state.
"Couple years ago, we lost in the first round, lost in the semifinals last year, so to win a district championship this year is an awesome feeling," said Grain Valley head coach Flip Courter.
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Against the Jaguars, a team that had beaten Grain Valley earlier in the season, Jones pitched a complete game and struck out eight batters along the way.
"It ended on a perfect note," Jones added. "Seeing that last strikeout in a 3-2 count, the bottom of the 7th inning...it was just such a special moment that I'll cherish forever."
According to Courter, there was never a doubt that Jones would go the distance.
"She's got great control," Courter said. "She's a strikeout pitcher. She's got everything you'd want in a pitcher in a big game like that."
The junior pitcher is just one piece of a talented Grain Valley team that's in the midst of a 13-game win streak.
"It's not just Molly what she does in the circle, but everybody else," Courter said.
And with three more wins, the Eagles will bring home a state title to Grain Valley for the first time in program history.
"To know that we're this close right now, it just feels like there's nothing stopping us and we definitely believe we can make it all the way," Jones added.
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