Softball: Vernon Hills stays ahead, barely, against Antioch

No lead was safe. Ever.

Until the very, very end.

Before the seventh inning of Tuesday's Class 3A softball sectional semifinal at Grayslake Central, Vernon Hills and Antioch played a game of "keeping up with the Joneses."

Every time Vernon Hills scored in the top of an inning, Antioch answered right back.

Back and forth, back and forth, until Vernon Hills finally had an inning that Antioch didn't have an answer for: the seventh.

Vernon Hills scored 4 runs in the top of the seventh inning while Antioch answered back with only 1, and Vernon Hills was able to hang on for a 14-13 victory. The Cougars are now in the sectional championship game at Grayslake Central on Saturday.

"Every game we play with (Antioch), it's been neck-and-neck every time," Vernon Hills shortstop Delaney Bowen said. "We knew it would be up and down. Our coaches even told us that before the game that it would be a roller coaster."

Antioch defeated Vernon Hills earlier this season in similar fashion, by 1 run.

And a few years ago when Bowen was a freshman, Antioch defeated Vernon Hills in a sectional semifinal, the furthest the Cougars had advanced until Tuesday.

"We did not play well in the (sectional semifinal against Antioch) my freshman year," Bowen said. "And I think that gave us the tenacity and the desire to come out and play our hardest this time.

"All the seniors remember that. That was a tough one for us and it's nice that we came out on top this time."

Bowen had a lot to do with that. She drove in one of the Cougars' 4 runs in the top of the seventh with a big double. Nicole Pieper drove in 2 runs with a double and Tatiana Guletsky also drove in a run.

The late offensive barrage was clutch because Vernon Hills was down by 2 runs (12-10) heading into the seventh inning.

Antioch scored 1 run in the bottom of the seventh, but couldn't muster any more offense than that, which was a bit unusual in this game.

There were 33 total hits between the two teams and 5 home runs. For Vernon Hills, Pieper, Guletsky and Mackenzie Mahler had homers. Deighton Butenschoen and Piper Foote had home runs for Antioch.

"We would be on such a high because we would score 4 runs in an inning. And then we would go out on defense and they would hit the gaps," Foote said. "It was hard to end it the way it did. When we don't get that extra hit, it's just kind of hard. And then you see everyone walking out of the dugout and it's like, 'OK, now our season is done.' And that's hard. I've been playing with some of these girls since I was 10."

Antioch, the No. 1 seed in the sectional, ends its season with a 26-7 record after a run that coach Anthony Rocco says exceeded expectations.

"After graduating seven studs from last year, expectations from a lot of people for this team were pretty low," Rocco said. "I'm pretty proud of the kids. We won the conference and a regional title and took the No. 1 seed in the sectional. And really no one expected that from us. Everyone thought we were going to be in a rebuild. And the seniors really stepped it up."

Vernon Hills coach Jan Pauly was proud of her seniors, too, and their relentlessness to get a win over Antioch after the tough loss to Antioch a few years ago in the sectional.

"We battled and battled and toughed it out and played for each other," Pauly said. "Of the six times we've played Antioch over the past four years, I believe five of those games have been by one run. And we lost to them in the sectional. The juniors and seniors remember that game. So it feels really good to beat them. This was a big game for us."

Vernon Hills, which improves to 17-18, will move to Saturday's 11 a.m. sectional championship game against the winner of Wednesday's semifinal between Prairie Ridge and Richmond Burton.

"I think we could (make an extended tournament run). I saw that kind of potential from our very first practice," Bowen said. "I was like, 'We can do big things if we just all play like we can.' The chemistry is amazing and we have a great balance between everyone and we work together really well."