Triton’s Hannah Woodard, Sydney Alford, Taytum Hargrave, Nicole Sechrist, and Courtney Jennings congratulate Lakewood on the sectional win after a heartbreaking 9-8 loss Tuesday night at the Bethany Christian Sectional. (Photo courtesy Whitney Worthen)

WATERFORD MILLS – Lakewood Park Christian rallied from a four-run deficit, handing Triton a 9-8 defeat and snapping a string of four straight sectional championships at the Bethany Christian Softball Sectional Tuesday.

The Panthers plated two runs in the fifth, then scratched out another four off closer Hannah Woodard in the sixth to take a 9-7 lead headed into the final inning. The Trojans scored a run in the final frame but left the bases loaded as Lakewood ended a four-year sectional championship run stretching back to 2013.

Kaylee Zehr scored the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly by Ali Knox, Lilly Kruse singled and was driven home for the go-ahead by Millie Linnemeier’s two-out single, and Linnemeier scored on a wild pitch for the eventual game-winner.

Courtney Jennings singled, Kate Gardner reached on an infield error, Kacie Pugh was hit by a pitch, and Jennings scored when Crystal Brown coaxed a walk from Corinne Dager to cut Triton’s deficit to one run in the Trojans’ final at bat. But the defending champs left the bags loaded when Taytum Hargrave blooped to first and was tagged out for the game’s final out.

Woodard took the loss inside the circle coming in to replace Jennings in the fifth. She gave up five hits and three walks for six earned runs.

The Trojans jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first as Hagrave tripled and Woodard singled, Nicole Sechrist drew a walk, Jennings hit a two-run double, and Gardner singled in Jennings.

The Trojans did most of the rest of their damage in the fifth, scoring two runs on wild pitches and a third on a single by Pugh.

The Trojans matched the Panthers hit for hit with 10 but left seven runners on base, four in scoring position.

Hargrave was 3 for 4 with a run scored, while Jennings was 2 for 3 with a walk and three runs scored, and Sechrist was 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored for Triton, which closed at 14-9.

Linnemeier was 4 for 4 on base with three runs scored, and Kruse finished 3 for 4 and scored two runs at the plate for Lakewood.

Dager got the win, giving up 10 hits and four walks with no strikeouts for the Panthers, who advance to play the winner of Wednesday’s game between Elkhart Christian and host Bethany Christian in the championship game Thursday at 5 p.m.