No Carmel magic this year
Pitcher Rachel Tack described the feeling in Carmel Catholic's dugout in the seventh inning as "surreal."
For real, the Corsairs, Lake County's postseason softball darlings the last two seasons, were three outs away from losing a regional game for the first time in three years.
"Everyone was like, 'Is this really happening? Are we going to lose in the first game (of the state tournament)?' " Tack said.
They did.
Zion-Benton beat Carmel 6-3 in the teams' Class 4A regional opener at Stevenson on Wednesday, but not before the resilient Corsairs rallied for a run in the seventh and left the bases loaded.
When Zee-Bees freshman pitcher Janika May speared Kelley Dodge's liner, Zion-Benton (23-11), the fifth seed in the Barrington sectional, had secured a berth in Saturday's 10 a.m. regional final against No. 14 St. Viator.
No. 11 Carmel, which lost to Barrington in the supersectional two years ago and in the sectional final last season, finished 11-23. The Corsairs started three freshmen in center fielder Dodge, first baseman Sally Snarski and left fielder Madaline Felipez, and only two seniors in catcher Shea Crowley and shortstop Claire Anastos.
Carmel stranded a hefty 13 runners on base against May, who struck out 11 but walked seven. Meg Grady (2-for-4) and Anastos had RBI singles.
"We kind of played like who we are this year," coach Jason Raymond said. "Just young and inexperienced."
Tack, one of the Corsairs' few veterans, entered the game seeking her eighth postseason win, but the junior right-hander allowed a pair of runs in the bottom of the first on 3 hits. Zion-Benton tacked on against Tack in the second.
The Zee-Bees scored 3 more runs on 3 more hits to go up 5-0, with Shannon Lauret's 2-run triple being the big blow.
"We hit early, and that was our game plan," said coach Rick Rymer, who notched his 200th career win in the Zee-Bees' regular-season finale against Vernon Hills last Saturday. "I said we got to go out and hit Tack early, and that's what we did."
Z-B, which went up 6-1 in the fifth on May's two-out RBI single, finished with 11 hits. Leadoff-hitter Lauret was 3-for-4, with her triple being her sixth in four games. Abbey Hanson went 2-for-3, and Veronica Kraly cracked a long double.
"I don't think I threw well," said Tack, who struck out four, walked two and allowed 4 earned runs in her 6 innings. "I told my coaches it wasn't one of my better games."
Just when it appeared there would be no postseason magic for Carmel this time, the Corsairs suddenly had hope in the seventh, trailing 6-2.
Crowley boomed a leadoff double to left. One-out walks to Eden Warnke (1-for-3, double) and Tack loaded the bases. Sure-handed shortstop Hanson caught Jocelyn Gravel's sinking liner for the second out, but she then let Felipez's routine groundball squirt through her.
May got the next batter, Dodge, and Z-B had dodged disaster.
"Everyone was kind of expecting to win today," Tack said. "I don't really know what happened. We have a young team and we're kind of inexperienced. I guess we just got beat."