Morrison junior pitcher Ava Duncan took the reins as the team’s primary pitcher and leadoff hitter this season.

The Fillies earned themselves another No. 1 seed this postseason, but Duncan had yet to start a postseason game.

While there were some additional nerves, it was mostly smiles as Morrison beat West Carroll 10-0 in six innings in Tuesday’s Class 1A Newman Regional semifinal matchup.

The Fillies (19-6) advance to face fourth-seeded Fulton in Friday’s regional final at 4:30 p.m. The Steamers had a 4-3 walk-off win over Newman in Tuesday’s nightcap.

Duncan pitched a six-inning complete game with five strikeouts, one walk and four hits allowed. She was also 2 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI.

“I love the pressure,” she said. “Coach [Chelsea] Eads, our coach last year, she always said, ‘pressure is a privilege.’ ”

The ninth-seeded Thunder (3-26) had their leadoff batter reach base on four different occasions, but Duncan and the Fillies made plays when it mattered.

They had three double plays in the win.

“We went all season without rolling a single double-play, and then today we had three,” Duncan said. “I think our defense was really on today and we knew this team can hit the ball.”

West Carroll was coming off a 5-3 win over Polo on Monday. Cattarina Houzenga led WC with two hits.

Morrison broke things open with six runs in the second inning, taking advantage of some defensive miscues by WC. The Fillies had six unearned runs and 10 hits with four walks.

Bella Scachette (two RBIs) had two hits and Paisley Bush’s RBI single ended the game early. Elle Milnes hit a solo home run and Allie Anderson drove in another run.

“I think it was a great start for us,” Anderson said. “We’re trying to have a lot of fun like last season. So think coming out and run-ruling the first game sets a good tone for the rest of the season.”

Morrison scored in every inning but the fifth in the win. The Fillies have not allowed more than two runs during their six-game win streak.

“We capitalized on a lot of their errors,” Anderson said. “And we did really good defensively.”

Anderson said the team has had errors of their own during the season, but they figured things out to open the postseason.

“We don’t have room for that anymore, so we’re capitalizing on every single ball,” she said. “Our outfield did great today, Bella Schachette had an amazing catch. We really just put it together.”

Anderson said Duncan has stepped up in the circle this season after her older sister, Bella Duncan, graduated.

“I’ve never seen her get down [in the circle],” she said. “She always keeps good intensity. I love her. We like to have fun out there. She keeps me laughing and always checks on me.”

She said staying loud and engaged in the dugout will be important as games continue to get tougher.

“Stay competitive, just stay alive,” she said. “Defensively, offensively, it’s going to be important to never let down.”

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Morrison’s Elle Milnes is congratulated after hitting a home run against West Carroll Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at the Class 1A softball regionals at Newman. (Alex T. Paschal)