Softball

Sydney Kibler proved to be virtually unhittable Tuesday afternoon.

The sophomore righthander didn’t give up a hit, struck out 12 and allowed just two baserunners, helping the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs post a 6-0 victory at home over Flora.

Kibler retired the first 13 batters she faced before issuing a one-out walk in the fifth. The only other Flora runner came due to an error in the seventh.

Her teammates provided plenty of offensive support, banging out 12 hits and scoring two runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings.

The Lady Bulldogs opened the scoring in the third. Cameron Rios led off with an infield single, stole second and scored on a base hit by Addie Wernsing. Maddie Kibler added a two-out RBI single to make it 2-0.

Hailey Niebrugge lined a two-run double in the fourth and Anna Faber added a two-run single in the fifth to wrap up the scoring.

The Lady Bulldogs, who improved to 3-1, is scheduled to play at home today (Wednesday) against South Central.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It was a game fitting of a state championship.

Two talented, equally-matched teams battling to the very end. The outcome couldn’t even be decided in regulation innings.

It was a game that either team could have won.

But neither team was a loser.

It was a game decided by a walk-off hit, but both teams walked off the field with their heads held high.

It was a game between a team of veterans with players committed to playing at the next level and quite possibly the youngest team in the entire state without a single senior on the squad.

It was a game between the No. 1 team in the state and a team that wasn’t supposed to survive the sectional.

Or the super sectional.

Or the state tournament semifinal game.

But heading to the bottom of the eighth inning, the upstart St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs had competed on even terms with the top-ranked Illini Bluffs Lady Tigers.

In that deciding inning, Kristen Graham delivered the game-winning, walk-off base hit to give Illini Bluffs the 3-2 victory in the championship game of the Class 1A State Tournament, played Wednesday afternoon at the Louisville Sluggers Sports Complex in Peoria.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Nobody saw this coming.

Nobody.

Yes, the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs were the top seed in their sub-regional. But once the sectional began, the word “underdog” was used a lot.

Each of their last three opponents – Hutsonville-Palestine, Casey-Westfield and Marissa-Coulterville -- had better records and more experience.

But when the Class 1A State Tournament begins Wednesday, those three teams will only be spectators.

The Lady Bulldogs will take the field, a member of the Final Four, and potentially just two wins away from a state title.

That became reality Monday afternoon when St. Anthony combined all three facets of the game – pitching, defense and hitting – into a 4-1 victory over previously undefeated Marissa in the Johnston City Super Sectional.

“This has been one wild ride to remember,” St. Anthony Coach Makayla Walsh said. “The girls will remember this for the rest of their lives.

“At the beginning of the year, every team sets their goals and every team wants to go to the state tournament,” Walsh added. “To be honest, though, we didn’t expect this. But it’s been a fun run.”

The Lady Bulldogs will play ALAH (Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond) in a semifinal game Saturday. ALAH defeated Ottawa Marquette 1-0 in its super sectional contest.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Coming into the semifinal game of the state tournament, all anybody could talk about was Makenzie Brown.

She is the talented, hard-throwing pitcher with Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond (ALAH) that has already committed to Tulsa University. And no matter who you talked to, everyone was raving about her.

The tall right-hander is a terrific pitcher and is the main reason the 22-3 Lady Knights had reached the state tournament.

During the season, Brown racked up double-digit strikeouts in every game, had pitches reach 70 mph (10 mph faster than virtually anybody else throws), gave up very few hits and had allowed just one run in her last 18 games – and that was unearned.

How did St. Anthony even have a chance?

Unless you talked to someone wearing red and white, the overwhelming opinion was the small parochial school had none.

But that was no different than the sectional or super sectional. The Lady Bulldogs were the underdogs in every game. And for three straight games, this young softball team proved all the doubters wrong.

Let’s make it four straight.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

When the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs took the field Thursday in Casey, it was just the second time their school’s softball team had played in a sectional championship game.

When that same team runs onto the field in Johnson City Monday afternoon, it will be uncharted territory.

For the first time in school history, the Lady Bulldogs will play in a super sectional. They earned that right by posting a thrilling 6-2, 10-inning victory over Casey-Westfield in the championship game of the Class 1A Sectional 6 Tournament.

“Wow!” St. Anthony’s first-year coach Makayla Walsh said moments after the win. “I’m just in awe. Casey is such a great team. But I’m so happy for the girls. We’re going to the Elite Eight.”

Yes they are.

And they will face Marissa for the right to advance to the IHSA State Tournament. The Johnson City Super Sectional contest is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Monday. Marissa defeated Steelville 5-0 to also reach the super sectional.

The sectional final was a good old fashioned pitcher’s duel for nine innings – quite the contrast from the first meeting between the two teams.

In that May 15 contest, the Lady Warriors collected eight hits and scored 10 runs off Lucy Fearday in less than two innings of work, en route to an 11-4 decision.

Thursday was much different.