The Bowling Green Daily News reports that the #1 ranked Greenwood Gators of Bowling Green beat #6 Owensboro Catholic 8-0 Saturday to win the state softball championship and complete the first undefeated fast-pitch season in state history. Greenwood finished their season 44-0.
No Kentucky fast-pitch softball team has ever finished with one loss, a difficult feat with the double-elimination state tournament, let alone finished their season undefeated. The Lady Gators have 84 wins over the past two seasons. There have been seven 40-win seasons in state history with three by Greenwood, including the last two. Greenwood outscored their opponents 378-24 this season and 42-4 in five state tournament games.
The state championship game pitted Kentucky's two winningest softball coaches against each other, Greenwood's Penny Reece and Owensboro Catholic's George Randolph.
The Lady Aces (33-11) have a state-record 16 state tournament appearances and five championships, the last in 2009. Greenwood tied now-consolidated Reidland on Saturday for second place with three titles. The Lady Gators lost in the 1997 state championship before winning consecutive titles in 2007-2008.
Greenwood junior pitcher Elizabeth Moss was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after allowing only three hits over seven shutout innings.