Seneca’s softball team got its quest for a third straight regional title off to a strong start on its home field on Tuesday.

After a pair of scoreless innings between the Fighting Irish (34-2) and Reed-Custer (15-11) in the IHSA Class 2A Seneca Regional semifinals, the host Irish pushed across eight runs in the third and three more in the fourth to pick up an 11-0 win.

After Tessa Krull started the game with a pair of innings, allowing just one hit, Hayden Pfeifer came in to pitch the final three. She retired all nine batters she faced, seven on strikeouts, to help lead the Irish to a win in their playoff opener.

“It honestly just makes me hyped for the rest of the postseason, and I feel like this team has a good chance to win a lot of games and make it far,” she said. “I felt like everything was working. Part of the key is just getting loose [when pitching in relief]. A lot of time, when I feel nice and loose, I feel confident in all my pitches.”

Pfeifer also played a part in the Irish’s eight-run rally in the third that saw them take control.

After an RBI groundout from Emma Mino, Pfeifer hit an RBI single to make it a 2-0 game. Lexie Buis drove in a pair of runs with a single two batters later. Ameliah Weber, Aurora Weber and Graysen Provance added RBIs to finish off the inning.

Krull, Ameliah Weber and Kaylee Klinker all drove in a run in the fourth to break the 10-run threshold, all while Pfeifer was doing all she could to finish off the combined one-hit shutout.

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Seneca's Tessa Krull rounds third to score a run during Seneca's Class 2A Seneca Regional semifinal against Reed-Custer Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (Mason Schweizer)

Head coach Brian Holman said it was nice to see both of his pitchers execute in their postseason opener, especially knowing that Krull and Pfeifer will have to remain at the top of their game if the Irish want to advance to the sectional finals for the third straight year and finally break through with a sectional championship.

“We’re going to need two,” he said. “I told them I don’t know if Tessa will start or Hayden will start, or who’s going to come in. But the way the postseason goes, if you don’t have two, it’s hard to make a run.

“Both of them were really good, and I had complete confidence in both.”

Nine different players recorded a hit for the Irish Tuesday, with Buis and Krull both picking up two hits. Buis had two RBIs while Krull had two runs.

They will be back on their home field one last time on Friday, looking to pick up the program’s sixth regional plaque since 2017, and Pfeifer said she is looking forward to getting one more game in front of the home crowd before potentially moving on to Pontiac for next week’s sectional semis.

“I just love the environment of being at home,” she said. “I love all our fans, even those that don’t have kids on the team and might have a young daughter who plays softball. They’ll come out and watch and cheer. All of our student body, a lot of the time, they’ll try to make it out here.

“Getting to play on our own field for such a big game, I think it’s just so much fun.”

Reed-Custer’s Sophia Moyers matched Krull pitch for pitch over the first two innings before the Irish erupted in the third. She pitched 2⅔ innings before Adalyn Steichen worked the final 1⅓. Mackenzie Foote was 1 for 2 with a double in the first inning.

The Comets did not have a senior on the roster this season and put together the winningest season for the program in about seven years.

Although things ended on a sour note, head coach Madison Hiestand said she is excited to see what this group can accomplish next season.

“We had a really tough conference this year, and a nonconference schedule that had some very tough opponents as well,” she said. “I think it was really good exposure for the girls, and it’s just going to carry over into next year. They’re going to get stronger, they’re going to feel more confident.”