Lion softball’s historic season came to an end in the regional finals Friday, as Bullard completed the two-game sweep. The Panthers took advantage of nine Livingston errors on their way to an 8-1 game played at Bullard’s Dobrinski Field.
It is the furthest a Livingston softball team has advanced in the postseason for a team that ends 2026 with a 29-9 record.
The Panthers scored in all but their final at-bat, getting one in the first, second and fifth, but doing most of their damage in the third and fourth when they scored five.
As a team, Bullard had just four hits. Most of the runs were taking advantage of nine Lion errors and five base on balls.
Livingston started the game with Raigen Long in the circle, who gave up four runs in 2.2 innings, but only one was earned. Breonna Niederhofer came on in relief, surrendering three runs in 1.1 innings. None of the runs were earned. Brooke Anderson finished the game’s final two innings, giving up just one earned run.
At the plate, Brooklyn Pace, Corinne Henderson, Taylor Wright and Ariyanah Cuellar each had a hit. Cuellar drove in Long for the only Lion run, making it 4-1 in the fourth inning. Henderson was also walked, Livingston’s only free pass.
Livingston graduates three senior contributors in Pace, Niederhofer and Anderson. The good news is that most of the successful bunch will return in 2027 with plenty of playoff experience.
