In back-to-back dominant pitching performances, the St. Paul's School softball team captured the 2026 Lakes Region Tournament title with shutout victories over Tilton School in the semifinals and Kimball Union Academy in the championship game. Led by ace pitcher
Jelina Medina and timely contributions from senior captain
Jade Hill, SPS showcased resilience, composure, and championship-caliber defense throughout the tournament run.
In Tuesday's semifinal matchup against Tilton School, Medina was nearly untouchable in the circle, throwing a complete-game shutout while striking out 13 batters and recording all 21 outs herself. St. Paul's broke through in the bottom of the third inning when Hill launched a solo home run to left field, giving the Big Red a lead they would never relinquish. Hill and Medina each drove in a run, while
Adriana Torres and
Violet Eaton collected two hits apiece to pace the offense. Defensively, SPS played flawlessly behind Medina, committing no errors, with
Maren Comey leading the way in the field with eight chances.
The next day, St. Paul's faced Kimball Union Academy in a tense championship showdown. In a true pitchers' duel, neither team scored through four innings before SPS finally broke through in the fifth, capitalizing on a KUA error to plate the game's lone run. Medina once again delivered under pressure, spinning another complete-game shutout while allowing just two hits and striking out eight to secure the 1–0 victory and the Lakes Region Championship title. Hill continued her strong play, leading SPS with a hit, while the team demonstrated patience at the plate by drawing four walks.
Over the two-game tournament stretch, the Big Red allowed zero runs and rode elite pitching, airtight defense, and clutch hitting to a championship finish, cementing an impressive season for the Big Red.