photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence second baseman Zoey Barber watches the pitch in a 2-0 loss to Blue Valley on Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Stilwell.

STILWELL – Lawrence softball’s season came to an end on Thursday as the Lions were shut out in a 2-0 loss to Blue Valley in the regional semifinal.

The Lions played it close against the Tigers, who had beaten Lawrence twice by a combined three runs earlier this season, but the lack of hits kept Lawrence from pulling off the road upset.

Lawrence started by getting its first two batters on base. Leadoff hitter and center fielder Lucy Juelsgaard walked, and second baseman Zoey Barber reached first on a fielder’s choice that put Juelsgaard out. Barber stole second in the next at-bat, and a groundout to first got Barber to advance to third. Left fielder Julia Norris walked to put runners at the corners, but a strikeout left them stranded.

The Tigers also started with a leadoff walk, but Lawrence pitcher Keira Norris threw two strikeouts in back-to-back at-bats. The Tigers singled to get two runners on base, but Norris finished the inning with a third strikeout to retire the Tigers.

Blue Valley retired the side in 10 pitches in the top of the second, and Lawrence returned the favor by retiring the side in 11 pitches. A dropped third strike and two groundouts kept the Lions from getting on base, while the Tigers scored their first run in the bottom of the third. After starting with a groundout, the Tigers collected three singles to load the bases. A walk brought in the first run, but Keira Norris threw two strikeouts to retire the Tigers.

Lawrence had three groundouts at the top of the fourth, making it 10 straight batters retired. Blue Valley scored in the fifth after back-to-back errors got two Tigers on base, and a sacrifice fly brought a runner home.

The Lions had three more groundouts in the fifth but didn’t allow a run in the bottom of the frame. After a leadoff walk, the Lions got the first of three flyouts. A double put two runners in scoring position, but flyouts to second base and center field kept the Tigers from scoring.

Lawrence third baseman Violet Koehn walked in the top of the sixth, making her the first Lion to get on base since the top of the first inning. Juelsgaard followed her up with a single, but a groundout on a bunt didn’t advance either runner, and a strikeout and a second groundout retired the Lions.

Blue Valley got one runner on base in the sixth with a single, but three more flyouts put the Lions back at the plate needing two runs to keep their season alive. A strikeout and two groundouts kept the Lions from getting anyone on base, and the season for Lawrence ended in the regional semifinal.

Lawrence finished the year 8-18 with a young roster. The Lions will lose Keira Norris, who allowed six hits and three walks against five strikeouts in the game, but will return the majority of its team going forward.