Fifth-inning rally pushes Pace past Parrish in softball state semifinal

Following last year's state semifinal loss, head coach Erin Spivey remodeled her team's season. Parrish was shutout in last year's state semifinal match, struggling to hit off Pace pitcher Hannah DeMarcus. So, in hopes of returning to the Class 6A Final Four, Spivey scheduled fewer, but more challenging games to prepare the Bulls for state championship-level pitching.

She believes teams don't win a state title at home, so she scheduled as many games away from Parrish as possible. And on Friday, May 22, in a state semifinal rematch against Pace, Parrish managed to hit and score off DeMarcus. But the Bulls ultimately fell 2-1 in its fourth straight Final Four appearance — winning back-to-back 5A titles in 2023 and 2024 — after Pace rallied in the bottom of the fifth.

"We played a really hard season," Spivey said. "My kids had to battle all the way through it and they did a really good job and made us better. In the end, they just played a really good game, it just didn't go our way...

I'm really proud of my kids. " Parrish (18-6-1) recorded three hits against DeMarcus with two coming from junior second baseman Alysa Jones, who smashed the ball deep over the right field fence in the top of the third for the Bulls' solo run. Junior pitcher Emmaline Van Beck — who struck out nine Pace hitters and allowed five hits — had the third hit.