Lake Zurich 2, Vernon Hills 1
On the same diamond two years ago, in the same game, Katie Buczynski surrendered a walk-off infield single to her friend Anastasia Guletsky, giving Vernon Hills the North Suburban Conference softball title.
Not that Lake Zurich's three-year varsity ace recalls it.
"I honestly don't remember," Buczynski said with a sheepish grin.
Not surprising, actually, since Buczynski is better at ball than recall.
"I'm really bad at remembering stuff," she said.
In the future, surely Buczynski will remember what happened in the conference championship game her senior year.
She was the hero, after all, hitting a solo homer in the top of the eighth inning to give Lake Zurich a 2-1 win over host Vernon Hills.
Buczynski, who allowed a run in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings, also pitched a 4-hitter with 10 strikeouts.
It was the second straight NSC championship for Lake Zurich (24-4), whose 12-0 run through the Lake Division matched that of Vernon Hills' in the Prairie Division.
"They're a real good team," Vernon Hills coach Paul Weber said of the Bears. "And with Katie pitching, they're real tough."
Vernon Hills (27-6) has been equally tough this spring and showed its character in forging a tie while down to its final three outs. The Cougars rallied against the mitt-popping Buczynski, who's been the toughest pitcher in Lake County this season.
Buczynski had given Lake Zurich a 1-0 lead off Jackie Allen in the third with an RBI single. The hit scored Coryn Schmit (2-for-4), who had doubled off the base of the center-field fence, after her popup in foul territory was dropped for an error.
"She definitely took advantage of our mistake," Weber said of Schmit.
Buczynski took a 2-hit shutout into the seventh. But Alyssa Dougherty -- one of several Vernon Hills players who's played summer ball with Buczynski -- led off the inning by booming a double to left. The ball nearly cleared the fence.
"I got kind of nervous (watching the ball in the air)," Buczynski said.
Dougherty stepped to the plate with confidence. She had grounded out to shortstop in her two previous at-bats, and the second time she had hit the ball sharply.
"I told myself before the pitch, 'Be the leadoff (batter) that I was last year. I'm used to this,' " said Dougherty, who batted first in the Cougars' lineup last season. "I do my job, and hopefully that will pump up the girls to get me around, and we did."
Dougherty tagged and slid safely into third on Adriana Longobardi's flyout. She then scored the tying run on Guletsky's sacrifice fly to center.
"They're like best friends almost," Weber said of Guletsky and Buczynski. "They're really, really close."
Megan Kubacki followed with her third hard-hit single in as many at-bats, but Buczynski got the final out on a strikeout.
"I don't know what happened (in the bottom of the seventh)," Buczynski said. "They're good hitters, though. I'll give them that."
Buczynski led off the Lake Zurich eighth with a line-drive homer down the left-field line.
"I was just like, 'I need to hit. We need to win this game, because we've worked for this,' " Buczynski said. "I just waited back on it and swung my heart out."
Buczynski, who pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth, finished 3-for-4 against Allen, who allowed only 1 earned run in her 8 innings. She struck out 11 and allowed 8 hits, including other doubles to Kyra Boyer and Brittany Stezskal.
"I actually thought Jackie pitched one of her best ballgames today," Weber said. "She really wasn't in that much trouble."