WALTON — The Lewis Cass softball team is making a statement in conference play, and Wednesday night was no exception. The Kings battled past a tough Southwood squad to secure a 4-0 victory, improving to a perfect 5-0 in TRC action.

For a team that started the season 0-6, the Kings (7-8 overall) have found their stride at just the right time. Winners of three straight and six of their last seven, they're positioning themselves as serious contenders for the conference crown.

The star of the show was senior ace Amma Fitzhugh, who delivered a masterful four-hit shutout while striking out seven. The Oakland City University-bound right-hander leaned on her go-to pitches when it mattered most.

"My screwball and my riseball were working really well," Fitzhugh said. "Honestly, I was just praying before each inning and especially before this last inning. We really pulled together as a team and really did well."

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when the Kings caught a break. With two outs, Ava Hubner hit a popup near the pitcher's circle that dropped in for an error, allowing the go-ahead run to score.

"We don't have to talk about that," Hubner laughed. "I mean, I'm happy they dropped it."

Hubner, who has been anchoring the team as catcher, emphasized the importance of the win. "We all just wanted to come out and win this game because we've beat them the past three years, I think. And we're obviously undefeated in the conference and they're pretty good in our conference too, so we wanted to beat them."

Alisha Toops followed Hubner's fortunate break with a clutch two-run single to right, giving the Kings a 3-0 lead. The offense kept rolling in the sixth when Ally Berry and Kami Silcox led off with back-to-back singles, and Kylie Logan delivered an RBI single to center for the only earned run of the game.

"I'm just really proud of this team because even though our record's not that good, when it comes to conference, we know to take it more serious and just ease into the game," Logan said.

The Kings finally cracked the code against Southwood senior Natalie Sutphin, a career 44-18 pitcher with a 2.35 ERA. Logan admitted the matchup was intimidating but credited her team's focus.

"In past years she was really good and I was like so scared to go up to bat," Logan said. "But this year, I think since she had a shoulder injury last year, she just wasn't as good this year. But I was still scared because she has a lot of movement."

Logan finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Hannah Penn went 2-for-4 with a run. Berry, Silcox, Toops, Maddie Lynch, and Shae Dishner each added a hit to round out the Kings' balanced attack.

With momentum on their side and a perfect conference record, the Kings are proving that slow starts don't define a season—it's how you finish that counts.