MT. VERNON, MO -- Led by sophomore Katie Galligos who drove in eight runs, collected seven hits and reached base 11 times, the Springfield Catholic softball team took fourth place at the Big 8 Conference Softball Tournament over the weekend in Mt. Vernon.

Galligos batted .636 over four games, while teammates Larissa Holland (.625), Emily Wieberg (.500) and Brooklyn Barnes (.417) also had big offensive showings. Barnes and Caroline Nelson also drove in four runs apiece on the weekend to pace the Irish efforts. Barnes also struck out 15 hitters in 17 innings of work in the circle while posting a 3.68 ERA.

The weekend started with an impressive 15-10 win over Hollister in the opening round, giving the program its first conference tournament victory and breaking the team scoring record. Holland was 3-for-4, while Nelson and Galligos drove in three runs apiece. Sarah Stokes, Barnes and Holland also had multiple RBIs in the win with Barnes striking out eight hitters.

The team's second game on Friday saw a 6-3 score in the fifth inning get away from the Irish as East Newton plated three runs in each the fifth and sixth innings to score a 12-3 decision. However, Galligos went 3-for-3, and Holland was 2-for-4 in the Friday nightcap to lead SCHS.

In what would be the tournament's third-place game, SCHS mounted a furious rally in the seventh inning only to come up short in a 10-7 loss to Lamar. Barnes collected two hits, including a double, while Galligos drove in two, and Carleigh Russell pitched in with a key RBI single.

Catholic also fell to eventual Big 8 champion Mt. Vernon at the event and had some shining moments against the state-ranked foes. SCHS posted an impressive four-run rally in the third inning, and the tandem of Barnes and Galligos had two hits apiece. Barnes and Nelson each hit doubles, while Makenna Phipps did a tremendous job in the circle in just her second varsity start.