The McLouth softball team opened their State Championship run on Thursday night in the quarterfinals with a 9-2 win over Hillsboro in Pratt. 

The top-seed and #1 ranked Bulldogs (24-0) trailed early after the Trojans got two runs in the first inning on a home run from Kirsten Kluver. 

That was all the offense that Hillsboro (8-14) got the rest of the game as the combination of Corissa Bandel and Dani Lee gave up no hits the rest of the game. 

Bandel pitched five innings and struck out 12 while Lee pitched the final two innings and gave up no hits with four strikeouts. 

McLouth would score in every inning but the sixth with one in the first, one in the second, three in the third, three in the fourth and one more in the fifth. 

Lee finished with three hits including a home run and four RBI's. Jillian Holwick added two hits and two runs and Charley Coffin added three hits and two runs. 

The Bulldogs will play (4) Ell-Saline/(5) Jayhawk Linn on Friday morning at 11:00 AM in the semi-finals. The Championship game will follow at 1:30 PM while a third place game would be around 1:00 PM. 

Both games on Friday will be broadcast live on KAIR 93.7 FM. 

POSTGAME INTERVIEW W/ HEAD COACH BALLARD PATTERSON