Seamon, Ploss lift Antioch to NSC honors

Patience.

That's all Antioch's softball team needed in another extra-inning game against Lake Zurich to decide the North Suburban Conference championship.

Patience is all Samie Seamon needed, too.

"It was tough for her when she wasn't playing," Sequoits coach Jeff Tylka said of his leadoff hitter/center fielder, who returned to the lineup this week after missing several games due to an abdominal injury. "The goal was getting her back to play this game.

"And we sure needed her."

Seamon's team-leading 10th home run of the season - and Antioch's state record-tying 40th - with one out in the bottom of the sixth pulled the home team even, and Jessica Ploss's two-out RBI single in the ninth gave the host Sequoits a 2-1 win Thursday.

It marked the second straight NSC championship for Antioch (24-5), which outlasted Lake Zurich (20-11) by a 2-0 final in 15 innings in the conference-title game last year.

"I love these games," Seamon said. "These are my ultimate favorite games."

Lake Zurich would just like to win one.

"I think it's a testament to how both teams show up knowing it's going to be a good game and then playing hard," Bears coach Michaela Towne said. "We are very evenly matched teams, and we are two teams that definitely come out and battle each other every time that we play."

The battle in the circle featured junior aces Olivia Duehr of Antioch and Megan Mattera of Lake Zurich.

The visitors scratched first, getting a one-out triple from Amanda Orchard in the third, and an RBI double from Erin Sweeney one out later.

The one run seemed like it might be enough for Mattera, who had allowed only one ball to be hit out of the infield - a swinging-bunt single by Allie Anttila leading off the second - through five innings.

But with one out in the sixth, Seamon launched an outside pitch over the center-field fence, tying the score at 1-1.

The senior had struck out her first two times up.

"I definitely needed to work on hitting outside pitches," Seamon said. "Finally, I just sat down on the bench and was like, 'I got to swing at that outside pitch that he's calling.' "

"That's really probably the only bad pitch she threw all game," Towne said of Mattera. "She pitched a great game."

Seamon played a great game, even without her game-tying homer.

In the fifth, she made a diving catch in short-center field to rob Katrina Klausing. In the seventh, she threw out what would have been the go-ahead run at the plate by throwing a strike to catcher Amber Mysliwiec, after a single up the middle by Orchard. In the Antioch eighth, she walked and stole second.

"The center fielder had one heck of a game," Towne said.

"There's no about it that she's the vocal leader and the heart and soul of our team," Tylka said of Seamon. "All the other girls are kind of quiet and just go about their business, but Samie has her emotions on her sleeve."

In the Antioch ninth, a pair of infield errors gave Ploss the chance to be a hero, and the tall right-handed hitter delivered with a sharply hit single into right-center, scoring Moore.

"We lose as a team," said Mattera, not blaming her defense.

Paige Goldberg, Orchard, Sweeney and Blume each had a pair of hits for Lake Zurich to account for the eight off Duehr (8 strikeouts).

Mattera struck out nine and allowed just 4 hits, two to Anttila, who also had a double.

"I wanted the win and the team wanted it just as much," Mattera said. "Hey, hats off to (Antioch). They played well and we had our chances, too. We just didn't capitalize."

Seamon's homer pulled Antioch even with the 2006 Downers Grove South team that also hit 40 homers.

The Sequoits conclude regular-season action with a pair of games at the Stone City complex in Minooka.

"I just wanted to make sure that the home run came in a big game," Tylka said.

Done.