Rocky Balboa, eat your heart out.
The Lady Lightning, a 12-and-under traveling softball team based in Iola, took another step in a “rags to riches” turnaround over the weekend.
The event was the Heartland World Series in Kansas City, pitting the Lady Lightning against some of the best softball players from across the Midwest.
The Lady Lightning steamrolled their way to the championship round, winning their first six games.
Hopes for glory took a hit in the title round, when the KC Zephyrs broke open a tight game to win, 10-3.
But all was not lost in the double-elimination tournament.
Because it was the Lady Lightning’s first loss of the competition, the teams squared off once more for a winner-take-all showdown.
The Lady Lightning wasted little time in taking control, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning of an 11-0 romp.
“It was awesome to see the parents and fans rally behind our girls, helping them overcome that loss mentally and turn around to beat the Zephyrs and take the title of Heartland World Series Champions,” head coach Kristi Rodriguez said.
The title caps an eventful 2023-24 campaign that saw the Lady Lightning rack up a 32-20-2 record.
For a bit of perspective, Rodriguez pointed back to the first year the Lady Lightning team competed in the 8-and-under division five years ago, when they went 0-11-1.
The Lady Lightning increased their output to seven wins in 2020-21, 35 wins in 21-22 and then 32 wins each of the past two seasons.
There’s not much time to gloat.
After a brief hiatus, the Lady Lightning will bump up to the 14-and-under division with practices beginning Aug. 1 for games that run through October.
The season will resume next spring, with the Lady Lightning participating in both USA and USSSA sanctioned tournaments.
