“The first time we played them, it was our fifth game in a week,” Walsh noted. “Lucy was really tired. But she had a fresh arm today.”

And it showed.

The sophomore hurler was fantastic. She pitched all 10 innings, scattered seven hits and allowed only two runs. She didn’t walk a batter and struck out four.

“What I love about Lucy is how humble she is as a player,” Walsh said. “After the game, the first thing she did was give a shout-out to her outfielders. She recognized her defense first. That’s just the type of girl she is.”

But her counterpart – Paige Cutright – matched her pitch for pitch the first nine innings. Through those nine innings, she gave up just six hits and allowed one unearned run.

But in the top of the 10th, everything changed.

Cameron Rios led off and grounded a single up the middle – her third hit of the game. Addie Wernsing then attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt. But the bunt got past Cutright for an infield single. Rios raced to third and beat the throw, which allowed Wernsing to scamper down to second base.

The next batter, Hailey Niebrugge, laid down another bunt and the speedy Rios beat the throw home to put the Lady Bulldogs on top 2-1. On the play, Wernsing went to third and Niebrugge ended up at second base.

Fearday then delivered a big-time hit, driving a ball into the right-centerfield gap for a two-run double.

“I love to play small ball,” Walsh said in reference to the two bunts that caused so much damage in the inning. “I utilize bunts every chance I get. It puts pressure on the other team. Then Lucy squared the ball up and things just snowballed. Those extra runs were great to see.”

After Fearday’s double, Maddie Kibler reached on an error. Then to cap the uprising, Stacie Vonderheide and Grace Karolewicz delivered back-to-back RBI singles to give St. Anthony a five-run cushion.

Fearday allowed a meaningless run in the bottom of the 10th, but when the final out was recorded, the celebration began.

“Before the game, I talked to the girls,” Walsh said. “I told them to forget about that first game. The postseason is much different. I told them whoever brings the momentum today was going to win. And that’s exactly what happened.”

Casey-Westfield entered the game with a sparkling 27-3 record and as the heavy favorite.

The Lady Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Cutright led off with a double down the leftfield line. She advanced to third on one fly ball and scored when Addie Squires hit a sacrifice fly.

Both teams had baserunners throughout the game, but neither Cutright nor Fearday allowed those runners to cross the plate.

The Lady Bulldogs finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth – in a rather bizarre way. Niebrugge walked and went to second when Fearday reached on a fielder’s choice. Maddie Kibler laid down a sacrifice bunt, allowing the two baserunners to move up to second and third.

Sydney Kibler then grounded a ball back to the pitcher. Courtesy runner Kenzie Kabbes got caught in a rundown and tagged out. Fearday was also caught between bases. When she ran back toward second, the throw was off-target and rolled into the outfield. Fearday was able to score all the way from second base to tie the score.

St. Anthony had two baserunners in the eighth, but went down in order in the ninth. Casey-Westfield went down in order in both the eighth and ninth.

Now it’s on to the super sectional. The winner Monday will advance to the Class 1A State Tournament, which will be played at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria on Wednesday. The Johnson City winner will face either Ottawa Marquette or Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond (ALAH) at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

The third place and championship games will be played later that same afternoon.

“We don’t want to stop here,” Walsh said. “We want to keep winning. I think this is just the beginning for this group. We’re a young team, but we’re really looking forward to the super sectional. It will be a challenge, but we’ll approach this game just like we have all season – one pitch at a time.”

Ticket Information

There will be no cash ticket sales at the gate. Only digital tickets will be sold for all super sectional and state tournament games.

To purchase digital tickets, softball fans can:

• Download the GOFAN app.
• Click this link: GOFAN.
• Click this logo on the left side of the IHSAhome page.

Super sectional tickets are $7 each and state tournament tickets will be $10.

One person can purchase tickets for the entire family.

When fans purchase tickets, they will receive an email with a link to their tickets. Fans simply show their phone at the gate to redeem their tickets and enter the stadium.

There is a $1 + 5 percent service charge on each ticket.