Softball: Dasso’s dazzling catch seals Mundelein’s sectional win over Stevenson

Mundelein’s Lindsey Dasso told herself she patrols right field for a reason. The sophomore was pulled from the lineup in the sixth inning but remained in the field. Without the opportunity to make her mark at the plate, Dasso figured she’d carve her signature in the outfield grass.

In the Class 4A sectional semifinal Thursday against host Stevenson, Dasso’s impact crystallized in the clutch.

With two out in the bottom of the seventh and the Mustangs clinging to a one-run lead, the Patriots’ Alyssa Shimanski roped a 1-2 pitch down the right field line. Dashing back to her left, Dasso dove headfirst on the warning track, snagging the ball in her outstretched glove and securing her team a spot in the finals on Saturday against Loyola.

“It’s important to give it your all because you’re still in the field for a reason,” Dasso said, sporting a bleeding cut on her right elbow from the dive. “I was, like, ‘I’ll do anything to get this ball.’”

“We had somebody hit for her and sometimes that can play with your mental side, and she’s just so solid,” Mundelein coach Heather Ryan added. “What a great catch. I’m so happy for her. She’s one of our hardest workers.”

Outside of Dasso’s heroics, Mundelein’s (22-10) 1-0 defeat of Stevenson (28-4) depended on starting pitcher Sophia Zepeda’s dominance in the circle and timely late-game hitting. Zepeda tossed a complete game, striking out eight and giving up only one hit.

“I threw a lot of screwballs and a lot of spin pitches,” Zepeda said. “Trusting my defense, that’s what worked today.”

Zepeda’s Stevenson counterpart, junior Ava Potempa, was equally potent on the rubber, fanning seven batters across seven innings. Through the first six frames, she only allowed two baserunners and retired 15 Mustangs in a row. But Mundelein broke through in the seventh with a leadoff triple from senior Claire Connelly.

“[Potempa] is a very competitive pitcher against me,” Connelly said. “I just saw she was giving me more balls in the zone. So the first ball I saw in the zone, I just took what I got.”

The next batter, junior Shea Eaman stroked a grounder up the middle. Stevenson’s Maahi Patel completed a diving stop for the force out, but Connelly had scored the winning run.

Stevenson put pressure on the bases with six walks, including three in the third that loaded the bases with two out. Senior first baseman Aubrey Jepson smacked a deep fly to left center, but the wind forced the ball down to the warning track for the third out.

“I saw a lot of fight, a lot of grit, and battle,” Stevenson coach Vera Pflugradt said of her team. “I think they went out and played the best they could have. I’m proud of them for that. I’m happy they fought the whole time.”