With the stakes higher in the Class 4A state softball tournament, Conant coach CathyAnn Smith wanted to give her team a little extra preparation on Tuesday.
“We got out of eighth period and warmed up for an extra hour on the field before the game,” said Cougars junior pitcher Briana Cavin. “We pitched, fielded and hit. It was very helpful.”
And Briana Cavin was quite helpful to the No. 3 seeded Cougars’ 3-0 shutout over No. 14 York (19-16).
The junior ace fired her first no-hitter of the season and second of her career as the Mid-Suburban League champs (27-2) advanced to the championship of their own Class 4A regional to face the winner of today’s game between No. 6 Leyden and No. 11 Wheaton North.
“I thought Tessa (Kroll, a junior) pitched a great game for us,” said York Hall of Fame coach Tom Babyar, who directed the Dukes for the final time after leading them to more than 600 wins in 33 season. “And their pitcher is very impressive.”
Cavin, who also had a no-hitter as a freshman in a regional play-in game, struck out 12 on Tuesday and also performed superbly at the plate.
She doubled home 2 runs in the second inning and reached on a swinging bunt in the fourth.
Cavin got the only run she needed in the first inning when shortstop Allie Bauch reached on an error with two outs. Bauch went to third on a wild pitch and came home on sophomore Miranda Cavin’s infield single.
“Allie Bauch getting on base was huge in that first inning,” Smith said. “We knew York was respectable. They play good competition all season. We knew we had to score first.
“We didn’t get as many runners on base as we wanted but it was nice to have Briana and Miranda in tune again.”
Briana Cavin (22-2) helped give herself a 3-0 cushion in the bottom of the second inning.
Sophomore Sarah Thompson led off with a single to center and went to third on Paige Ward’s groundout to second. Freshman second baseman Rachel O’Malley reached safely with a bunt giving the Cougars runners on the corners.
That’s when Cavin belted her 2-run, two-out double to left-center, scoring Thompson and O’Malley.
Cavin missed a third hit when York second baseman Alyssa Johnson made a nice leaping grab of a line drive in the sixth inning.
“We had a couple of opportunities but couldn’t get a big hit,” Babyar said. “That catcher (Miranda Cavin) of theirs has an arm. And they have five lefties in their lineup. I’d kill for that.”
Babyar said it was probably the first time his team was no-hit all season.
“I will remember my assistant coaches and the kids,” he said. “It’s funny but you remember the games that got away more than the ones you won.
“If this group of returning girls we have come back hungry, they should be OK next season.”
The Cougars are looking forward to extending their season when they go after a third regional crown in 10 years under Smith.
“These girls have a goal and they have four games left to get to state,” she said.
