Scott no-hitter lifts BC to sectional title
Giving Mackenzie Scott 3 runs to work with in the first inning of any game is kind of like giving Ferris Bueller a day off. Somehow, you just know it's going to be a fun day.
Scott's Burlington Central teammates did just that Saturday, scoring 3 runs in bottom of the first inning and then riding their senior standout's seventh no-hitter of the season to a 3-0 win over Sterling in the championship game of the Class 3A Rochelle sectional.
The Rockets (24-5), who won their first sectional title since 1993 and third in program history, meet Vernon Hills (21-8) in the NIU supersectional Monday at 4:30 p.m. The winner gets a date in the first state semifinal in East Peoria next Friday against either Oak Forest or Bloomington.
"She's a gamer," said BC coach Scot Sutherland of Scott, who struck out 15 and was a 3-2 ball 4 call away from a perfect game. "When you give her a couple runs early she's going to settle in, bring it and get after people. I thought today she got stronger as the game went on."
During the Rockets' 4-0 postseason Scott has yet to allow a run. She has struck out 57 and allowed 5 hits in 27 innings. She lowered her season ERA to 0.18 and she now has 269 strikeouts for the season.
"I just wanted to win," Scott said. "I've been looking forward to this all week. When it started to rain I got a little nervous but I had my changeup going today. I was really confident in that pitch today. I feel more comfortable when my changeup is working."
Everything was working for Scott on Saturday. Her strikeouts came in a variety of ways - with Sterling (19-17) hitters flailing hard swings against the riseball as well as lunging after change-ups. Only one Golden Warrior hitter managed to get a ball out of the infield, that a soft fly to right by Ashli King with two outs in the fourth just after Angie Minnick had coaxed a walk out of Scott on a 3-2 pitch.
The Rockets scored all the runs they needed in the first inning. Senior Brittany Priest got things going with a one-out single and Sam Gruner followed with a double to the left-center field fence. Senior Lindsay Lange then dumped a bloop RBI single into right-center to score Priest and when Sterling botched the relay, Gruner scooted home and Lange went all the way to third. She scored the third run on a wild pitch.
"I was just ready to go," said Priest of starting the rally. "I was so pumped today. I was anxious and I jumped on the first pitch. I just wanted to get one going so we could score first. That was my objective."
And from there, it was all Scott. She threw just 79 pitches, outdueling Sterling junior Jamie Rehmert, who allowed the Rockets just 1 hit after the first inning.
"The big key was the way we jumped out on them in the first inning," Sutherland said. "Mac cruised the rest of the way and was just outstanding. I think (Sterling) had some jitters and after about the third inning you could see the wind coming out of their sails a little."