Three local high school softball squads saw their seasons come to an end in the playoffs. 

Waterloo (22-5) won 8-4 over Civic Memorial in the Class 3A Mascoutah Regional final on Friday as Samantha Juelfs went 3-for-4 with a triple, home run and three RBIs. 

Megan Armbrecht, Kate Lindhorst, Ava Brown and Grayce Meyer all had two hits each for the Bulldogs, who got a complete game pitching performance from Aidan Dintelman. She allowed just an unearned run.

Friday’s win advanced Waterloo – which placed fourth in the state last year – to the Triad Sectional, where it faced off against Marion early Tuesday evening for a berth in Friday’s sectional final. Unfortunately, Waterloo lost 3-1. A two-run homer did the Bulldogs in.

The Bulldogs previously won 2-1 over Marion on May 3. Waterloo also faced Marion in the sectional semifinals last season, winning 8-3.

Juelfs, a junior, was the top hitter for the Bulldogs this spring with a .523 batting average, .549 on base percentage, seven homers, 40 RBIs and 31 runs. 

In addition to her 19-2 pitching mark and 1.64 ERA, Dintelman was hitting .413 with six homers and 27 RBIs entering Tuesday. She is also a junior.

Brown, a sophomore, is hitting .405 with 32 RBIs and 27 runs. 

Columbia (24-6) opened the Class 2A Vandalia Sectional last Tuesday with a 3-1 victory over Robinson, getting a three-run homer from Regan Jarrard as its offense. Eagles hitters struck out 10 times on the day. 

Emily Webb was stellar as usual in the pitching circle, striking out five in a complete game. 

On Friday, Columbia faced a tough Newton squad in the sectional final. The result was a 1-0 loss that ended the Eagles’ season. 

Webb, a junior, allowed just an unearned run, but the Eagles were held to just three hits on the day. Those hits were by Elle van Breusegen, Reagan Jarrard and Reese Jarrard.

The loss marked the final games for outgoing Eagles seniors van Breusegen, Reese Jarrard, Paige Froess and Sam Augustine. 

Leading the way on offense this season for Columbia was van Breusegen at .469 with a .536 on base percentage, 39 runs and 12 stolen bases. 

Reagan Jarrard hit .379 with 33 RBIs and 24 runs. 

Webb went 15-2 with a 0.55 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 101 and one-third innings pitched. 

The other local team that ended its season in the sectional round was Dupo (13-10).

The Tigers faced the host squad last Tuesday at the Class 1A Hardin-Calhoun Sectional, falling 6-0. 

Dupo was held to three hits and made three errors in the contest. In addition, Tigers hitters struck out 10 times. 

Those with hits for the Tigers were Keara Prater, Kaylyn Woods and Kylie Pierce.

Saying goodbye to the Dupo softball program are outgoing seniors Woods and Adrienne Latimer, who were important pieces to this year’s success.

Woods hit .417 with 23 runs and 19 RBIs this spring. Latimer hit .352 with 18 stolen bases.

But the future of Tigers softball looks bright, as many of the team’s top players are being freshmen or sophomores this spring. 

Freshmen included Pierce (.417) and Kylie Kloess (.403, 23 runs, 22 RBIs) and pitcher Addison Thompson (1.55 ERA). 

Sophomores included Prater (.324, 23 runs) and Kaitlyn Roberts (.361, 21 RBIs).