Softball: Belvidere ousts Burlington Central
BELVIDERE - It was a case of too little, too late for Burlington Central's softball team Saturday.
The Rockets spotted host Belvidere 6 runs in the first two innings - five of them unearned - before battling back but coming up short as the Bucs won their own Class 3A regional title 6-4.
Belvidere (22-9), the No. 3 seed in its sub-sectional, will play No. 1 seed Kaneland in the Sterling sectional semifinals on Wednesday.
"It's not what we wanted, obviously," said Central coach Erica Snyder of Saturday's loss. "It wasn't our best softball and this time of year that's what you need."
Belvidere got to BC junior Julia Barnes for 4 hits in the first inning, but an infield throwing error paved the way for all 3 Bucs runs. Another throwing error in the second allowed Belvidere to plate 2 runs, and the Bucs' only earned run of the game came off a laser-beam double to the fence in left field by senior Gabby Herrijon.
"We didn't execute and that's on us," said Snyder. "We just did not execute. You can't give a team more than three outs an inning in a game like this."
Central scored a run in the bottom of the first when Danielle Yurgil singled home Reilly Gardner, who had walked. But the Rockets left runners at first and third when crafty Belvidere senior Madison Gibbons recorded one of her 7 strikeouts on the day to end the threat.
Trailing 6-1, Barnes (14-7) settled in and allowed Belvidere just 2 hits over the Bucs' final five at-bats, striking out 4 and walking none.
"This was Julia's first year pitching varsity softball and with the injuries she's had to come back from she was like a freshman out there this year," Snyder said. "We're excited to have her back."
While Barnes held the Bucs at bay and Central (17-9) played errorless defense over the final 5 innings, the Rockets could do little offensively against Gibbons until the seventh.
Central made it a 6-2 game in the fourth when Gibbons walked senior Gretchen Schrubbe and Sarah Schmitt. A sacrifice bunt by Maissie Rabe and an infield groundout from Delyla Mroz-Reach allowed Schrubbe to score but Gibbons got senior Kristina Ahlers to fly out to left to end the inning.
The Rockets did battle until the final out, scoring twice and bringing the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh.
Mroz-Reach got on base on an error and Ahlers walked before Mroz-Reach scored on a wild pitch and Barnes singled home Ahlers with two outs. Gibbons then got Lindsay Jamrozek to pop out to end the game and deny the Rockets the program's 20th regional title.
"We fought back and didn't quit," Snyder said. "The way that started it could have been a 10-0 game but we battled. Hopefully this will give us some fuel for next year. We'll miss (Ahlers and Schrubbe). They have been a big part of our program for four years. But we're excited about what we have coming back."