Orangeville and Glasford (Illini Bluffs) will play in the other semifinal. Both semifinals are scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
Third place game is set for 1:30 p.m. and the championship contest at 2 p.m.
The state tournament will be played at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria.
Every championship caliber team needs to excel in all facets of the game. Since the postseason began, the Lady Bulldogs have done exactly that. Lucy Fearday has been stellar on the mound, the defense has made play after play in the field and the offense has been so good, SAHS has outscored its five postseason opponents 42-4 so far.
Yes, the St. Anthony squad is extremely young, playing mostly freshmen and sophomores, but it is a very tight-knit group that is talented and plays with a very high softball IQ.
“We are a young team, but these girls know how to play the game,” Walsh noted.
It was a scoreless tie Monday with two outs in the bottom of the third when Cameron Rios came to the plate. She is the team’s sparkplug at the top of the lineup. She’s a very good slap hitter that hit nearly .600 this season. But she had a different approach in the third.
“Their pitcher liked to throw inside and that’s not good if you’re trying to slap the ball,” Cameron explained. “Plus I could see the right fielder was really playing in, so I thought a power swing might work.”
She thought right.
On a 1-0 pitch, Rios lined it over that outfielder’s head and the ball rolled to the fence. The speedy Rios saw the ball get over her head, but then kept her eyes on Coach Walsh.
“I just kept thinking -- ‘Send me coach. Send me.’ I really wanted to score,” Rios said.
And Walsh admitted after the game that “I never thought about stopping her. I knew I was going to send her once the ball got over the outfielder. Cameron is an aggressive player that I have total confidence in. And it helps that she’s really fast.”
Rios slid across the plate with her second inside-the-park home run of the season and staked the Lady Bulldogs to the 1-0 lead.
The Lady Meteors responded immediately in the top of the fourth. Autumn Gilley led off with a base hit, went to second on a bunt and scored the tying run when Emily Smith singled to right field.
The Lady Bulldogs took the lead for good in the fifth.
Stacie Vonderhiede nearly drove a pitch out the park. It hit at the base of the centerfield fence for a one-out double. Then with two outs, Alexis Stephens delivered what proved to be the game-winning hit when she singled up the middle to put SAHS on top 2-1.
“I was so happy for Alexis,” Walsh said. “At practice Saturday, she wasn’t on her game at all. But she put in some extra time and worked hard on her hitting. She was due for a hit and I was excited for her when she got it.”
St. Anthony then added a pair of all-important insurance runs in the sixth. And they did it playing Coach Walsh’s favorite style – small ball.
Addie Wernsing and Hailey Niebrugge led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Fearday laid down the first bunt, which moved the runners up to second and third.
And there was no surprise what followed next. Maddie Kibler put down another bunt that was perfectly placed and allowed Wernsing to race home and score. Then with two outs, Grace Karolewicz drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the second run of the frame and give the Lady Bulldogs a three-run cushion heading into the seventh inning.
That was more than enough for Fearday, who has been outstanding this postseason. In her four appearances, she has pitched 29 innings and allowed 21 hits, but only four runs. She has struck out 30 and walked just two. That control is one of her biggest strengths.
“I really worked hard on that in the off-season,” Lucy explained. “I have a sign on my steering wheel. It says ‘keep the fastballs down.’ It also helps when you have such a great defense behind you. I know our defense is going to make the plays and that really helps my confidence.”
Marissa got a two-out single, but when the final batter grounded out, the masks and gloves were thrown in the air and the celebration was on. Expected or not, the Lady Bulldogs were state tournament bound.
“Nobody thought we’d be here,” Cameron said. “But we just keep proving everybody wrong. This is so exciting.”
“These teammates are more than just teammates,” Lucy added. “We’re more like sisters. It’s a lot of fun playing ball together and it helps knowing we all want to be here.”
The next challenge will be ALAH Wednesday morning.
“I have to admit this gives me goosebumps,” Walsh noted. “It’s been a cool, crazy experience. This is exciting, but, thankfully, this is a calm group and they’ll be ready to play Wednesday.
“We can’t forget what we focused on all season,” Walsh added. “One pitch at a time. One inning at a time. One game at a time.”
Go Lady Bulldogs!
Ticket Information
There will be no cash ticket sales at the gate. Only digital tickets will be sold for all state tournament games.
To purchase digital tickets, softball fans can:
- Download the GOFAN app.
- Click this link: GOFAN.
- Click the logo on the left side of the IHSAhome page.
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.
