Benet gets glimpse of its future
EAST PEORIA — Benet might not be able to hide Marissa Panko in the bottom of its lineup next year.
She sure shone in the biggest spotlight.
The Redwings freshman twice ignited rallies with leadoff singles, and Benet came back to beat New Trier 7-4 in Saturday’s Class 4A third-place game at EastSide Centre.
Panko had 6 hits and 4 runs batted in over Benet’s last three games, her go-ahead double against Richards sending Benet to state.
She’s back next year, one of five starters returning on a team full of good young bats.
“Our little ones, our future started us going today,” Benet coach Jerry Schilf said. “Without those little ones, we don’t even win a supersectional.”
Benet’s third-place finish is its first trophy in softball, third in a girls team sport. The Redwings (31-11), which went 19-3 over their last 22 games, matched a school win record set two years ago. Senior Allyson Staats (29-9) bested Lauren Rohan for most wins by a Benet pitcher.
“I think we played like we’ve been down here many times,” Staats said. “It was really cool to come out here and really show what we’re capable of.”
Benet, beaten 5-3 on a two-run homer in the seventh inning Friday by eventual state champion Moline, seemed sluggish at the start Saturday.
New Trier’s Brigit Ieuter shut out Benet for two innings, and the Trevians (23-13) nicked Staats for a run in the first and second innings.
Panko’s one-out chopper up the middle in the third gave Benet its first baserunner. The Redwings were just getting started.
No. 9 hitter and sophomore Ali Michalik, Maeve McGuire, Kendall Duffy and Staats all singled for five straight Redwings hits. Benet batted around in the third, jumping ahead 4-2. Staats’ single back through the middle scored Michalik and McGuire with the tying and go-ahead runs.
Another Panko one-out single started a fourth-inning rally, and Michalik, McGuire and Duffy again followed with singles to build a commanding 6-3 lead.
Panko had a number of good, deep-count at-bats the last three games in addition to playing a flawless shortstop.
“I’ve just been seeing the ball well lately,” Panko said. “I was looking for my pitch. If I was behind in the count, I’d just foul off the pitches I didn’t want. I waited for the ones that broke over the plate.”
Benet’s bottom three hitters — senior Mikayla Panko, and Marissa Panko and Michalik — combined for 9 hits in two state tournament games.
Ieuter, who took a no-hitter into the fifth against St. Charles North Friday, retired the first seven batters she faced Saturday. Nine of Benet’s next 13 batters singled.
“We moved up in the box,” McGuire said. “She’s a very good pitcher and her pitches will break later, so we wanted to move up in the box so we could get to the ball before it broke. Hitting is contagious.”
The Redwings’ 14 hits tied for third-most all-time in a state tournament game. Benet’s 113 doubles this season also broke a state record, and McGuire’s 26 doubles were 1 shy of the record.
“We got on base,” Schilf said, “and then the kids just didn’t stop hitting. We never quit.”
McGuire was held hitless Friday after reaching base 12 straight times. She responded Saturday with a 3-for-5 game, her fourth-inning bullet back through the box into center scoring a pair of runs for a 6-3 lead.
Underclassmen Michalik and Duffy also had 3 hits.
“We came back strong,” McGuire said. “We wanted to show everyone that we’re here for a reason. We weren’t just here to show up, lose two games and get fourth place.”