Vernon Hills' rally stuns Antioch
Through four innings, Paul Weber's pregame prediction wasn't looking too good.
Vernon Hills' softball coach forecast his leadoff hitter Sara Doerhoefer as a hero in the Class 3A Marengo sectional final. And after Antioch's Olivia Duehr had crushed a long home run in the bottom of the fourth, Doerhoefer and her teammates were facing a 2-0 deficit against Duehr, the best pitcher in all of Lake County this spring and a legitimate all-state candidate.
The sophomore hadn't allowed a run since the state tournament started.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't even know if we were going to catch up," Cougars sophomore Lauren Yacullo said. "Then when we did, I got so excited."
Vernon Hills caught Antioch with solo runs off Duehr in the fifth and sixth, then went ahead in the seventh on a single by, yep, Doerhoefer. Freshman Megan Meline retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh, as Vernon Hills completed a stunning rally for a 3-2 win Saturday.
The loss was just the third all season for Antioch (32-3), but second in three games to Vernon Hills (21-8), which advanced to Monday's 4:30 p.m. DeKalb supersectional against Burlington Central at Northern Illinois University.
"We feel we're the two best teams in the division (North Suburban Prairie) and two of the best teams in the state," said Antioch coach Jeff Tylka, whose team played three one-run games with the Cougars. "Anytime you play a top-10 team it's going to be a tough game. They're good, we're good. They got the better of us this year, 2-1."
It looked like Antioch would be playing in DeKalb on Monday, as Duehr's sacrifice fly scored Samie Seamon (leadoff triple) in the first, before Duehr launched a 3-2 pitch from Meline over the left-center field fence leading off the Sequoits fourth for her ninth home run.
Trouble for Duehr started with one out in the Vernon Hills fifth, when Yacullo's single was followed by Meline's ringing triple that turned around center fielder Seamon.
Before the fifth, Duehr had thrown 28 consecutive scoreless innings in the state tournament.
Duehr (12 strikeouts, 3 walks) stranded the tying run by retiring the next two hitters, then struck out the first two batters in the sixth. But she walked Anna Christensen, before Charlotte Hoffmann drove a hard-hit but catchable ball to left. It was misplayed and rolled to the fence, as Christensen scored easily.
In the Vernon Hills seventh, the hot-hitting Yacullo - who went 2-for-3 and is 9-for-16 since being called up just before the postseason - boomed a leadoff double to left.
Meline sacrificed pinch runner Paige Kahalnik to third before Doerhoefer - who had struck out twice and walked - singled to right-center.
"(Duehr's) a great pitcher obviously, and we were looking first pitch the whole time because we knew if we got behind it was going to be tough to come back against her," Doerhoefer said. "All day I was looking early but I just wasn't connecting. Finally, I just saw that first pitch and it was right there, and I just drove it.
"It's actually pretty funny because earlier in the day we had gotten on the bus and Mr. Weber said, 'I just feel that you're going to get the game-winning hit today.' "
Meline didn't allow another hit after Duehr's homer. She finished with a 3-hitter, striking out eight and walking two.
"She just kept pitching one player at a time, and she just did a great job," Weber said. "Awesome poise for a freshman."
It was a terrific year for Antioch, which had never won a sectional game until beating Grayslake Central 4-0 in the semifinals.
"It's been such a great year and I'm happy to be a part of it," said senior second baseman Ashley Mysliwiec, wiping away tears. "It's so sad to leave because next year they're going to dominate again. Good luck to the girls. I know that everyone will do well, and I have a feeling they'll go to state next year - with Olivia leading the way."