Bolivar Softball Earns District Championship

Published 3:55 pm Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Bolivar softball headed into the state quarterfinal 23-10 after a dominant performance in district competition.

The Liberators entered the tournament as the one seed, and quickly showed they earned that ranking by shutting out Seneca 10-0. In the championship game, Bolivar faced second seed Aurora looking to get their second district title in three years. After going down 1-0 in the first inning, Bolivar quickly regained their lead and never looked back.

The Liberators earned their second run-rule win of the tournament, taking down Aurora 12-2 and moving on the state quarterfinal.

Bolivar drew the district five champion Southern Boone, a team ranked fourth in class three in the latest Missouri High School Softball Coaches Association rankings with a 26-2 record. The Liberators earned a 10th place rank at the end of the regular season, setting up a state-ranked matchup to go to the final four. The two teams only had one common opponent this regular season, with both teams losing convincingly to Marshfield.

Bolivar has not reached the final four since 1980, and they were looking to make history on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The Liberators got on the board first with a sacrifice groundout, giving Bolivar a quick 1-0 lead. Southern Boone did not get a run across until the third inning, where they evened the score at 1-1.

Their momentum carried, bringing them into the fifth inning with a commanding 6-1 lead. Bolivar had a chance to close the gap with bases loaded, but the Southern Boone defense held strong.

Another explosive inning from Southern Boone in the seventh put the game out of reach. The Liberators added a few runs late in the game, but ultimately fell 16-5.

Bolivar graduates four seniors in Josie Maze, Nova Hendrickson, Brooklyn Hamilton, and Mary Grace Cline.

While this was not the end the Liberators hoped for, head coach Alicia Wollard looks back on their success this season.

“I am so thankful to be a coach to these young ladies,” said Wollard. “I admire the hard work, passion, and effort they gave all year long. When a season ends, we sometimes forget to look at all the positives because we are stuck in the sadness of it ending! We played a tough schedule of class 4 and 5 schools, so there is nothing to hang our heads about. We are proud of the year and all our accomplishments!”
Bolivar finishes the season 23-11, their second 20 win season in three years.