SPRINGFIELD, Mo. • After scoring runs in each of the first three innings, the wheels fell off for Westminster Christian in the Class 3 third-place game Friday at Killian Sports Complex in Springfield.
Sullivan rallied for five runs in the third inning and went on to win 8-4.
Marissa Messex's RBI-singles was the telling hit in Sullivan's big third-inning rally. Tessa Johanning had a multi-hit game for the Eagles.
Rebecca Nixon suffered the loss for Westminster. The Wildcats were making their first appearance in the final four.
Westminster, coming off nine wins in a row, lost back-to-back games Friday and closed the season at 18-8. The No. 7 in the STLhighschoolsports.com small-schools rankings, Westminster opened Friday with an 8-1 loss to Centralia in the state semifinals.
Sullivan fell into the third-place game after losing 2-0 to Chillicothe in its semifinal.
Friday's trip to the final four was the first for Sullivan since 2003 when it finished second.
