COLUMBIA -- Even the best defensive softball teams have a hard time with balls hitting the fence or going over it.
Marion ran into a hot-slugging Columbia squad on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Columbia 3A Sectional and saw its season end with an 11-4 loss to the Eagles.
Columbia (28-4) advances to Saturday's championship against either Herrin or Highland, who meet in Wednesday's other semifinals, while Marion's season ends at 23-5.
Every batter in Columbia's lineup had a hit and all but one scored a run to hand senior lefthander Ally Dunaway a rare loss.
The Eagles collected 10 extra-base hits, including three homers -- two of them by Kelly Metter.
Marion was down 7-0 after three innings but got back in it when Morgan Andrews launched her first homer of the season, a three-run bomb, in the top of the fourth. It came after Kaylee Evans hit a bloop single and Ivy Smart reached on an error.
But the Eagles hit back-to-back homers in the bottom half. Chelsy Pena and Metter both went deep to push it back to 9-4 for cruising hurler Kaelyn Rheinecker.
"Columbia hit better than us and made the least mistakes and errors," said Marion coach Joy Neal. "We're a great hitting team but they kept stringing hits together where we didn't. And I thought there were balls that should have been caught on defense for us that weren't."
The game started nearly an hour late due to Marion having bus trouble, but both teams were allowed to go through normal warmups. Then the Eagles, who were the home team on the scoreboard, erupted for four runs in the opening frame.
Courtney Weilbacher led off with a single and scored on a close play at the plate when Pena doubled down the line -- Pena was then thrown out at second base -- then Metter doubled and both Calli Wibbenmeyer and Lexi Touchette singled.
Mikaela Kossina popped up for the second out, then Keeler Van Breusegen poked a two-run double for a 4-0 lead. Metter homered and an error allowed two more runs in the third for a 7-0 margin.
Marion's other run came in the fifth after Morgan Dodd tripled and scored on a squeeze bunt single by Hannah Nalley. Kaylee McNeely also had a hit for the Lady Wildcats, way back in the first inning.
"I'm proud of what we did accomplish," Neal said. "Back to back regionals, three straight years of winning conference championships, two of those being undefeated and another winning record of 23-5.
"It was a fun year, full of the importance of serving others and singing bus rides, where I even found myself acting silly with the team. We lose four seniors that will leave big shoes to fill. This year was surely special, but we will be back again next year."
Marion's four seniors were Dunaway, McNeely, Alissa Mitchell and Delaney Sutherd.
