LAINGSBURG — Katy Howard was hitless when she stepped to the plate in a key spot for the Lansing Catholic softball team.
And she knew that needed to change.
With the Cougars tied at 1 with Laingsburg in a Division 3 district final, the senior was determined to help change the scoreboard.
And with one out and the basis loaded, Howard delivered.
Howard’s two-run single helped lift the No. 9-ranked Cougars to a 3-1 victory over No. 8-ranked Laingsburg in the title game
“I just knew not getting a hit wasn’t an option,” Howard said. “I had baserunners on base and my teammates kept giving me confidence all game. Being able to come through and do this for them – we have such a special group and I’m just truly so blessed and I’m so proud of everybody. This was truly a team win.”
Howard was hitless for the day when she stepped to the plate in the big spot after going 0-for-3 in the semifinal win over Bath and being hitless in her three prior at-bats in the final.
Lansing Catholic coach Amy Poljan was proud of her focus in the big spot.
“We always say just have a goldfish mindset,” Poljan said. “(It is) don’t remember what you did before and what’s in front of you is the thing that’s at task and she just took that to heart. That was a huge hit. I was so happy for her.”
Gruber’s big hat helped make a winner of Zoey Gruber, who had a strong day in the circle. After striking out 19 in the 1-0 semifinal win over Bath, she had 12 strikeouts against Laingsburg.
The Cougars avenged their 2025 district finals loss to Laingsburg on their home field to advance to next week’s regional.
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway and Bluesky @briancalloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Katy Howard’s clutch hit helps Lansing Catholic softball capture district title
Reporting by Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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