Edwardsville no-hits Naperville C. in semis

Watching a pitcher shut down an opponent is a familiar sight for Naperville Central these playoffs.

Only this time, she was sitting in the other dugout.

Edwardsville senior Lauren Francis no-hit the Redhawks 2-0 in the Class 4A state semifinals, out-dueling Naperville Central's Natalie Wunderlich at East Peoria's EastSide Centre.

"Our offense was a little dead today," Wunderlich said. "We've faced really good pichers all along, but she did a really good job and she is a good pitcher. It's just we've always come out on top in those situations."

Francis (20-3) struck out eight. Naperville Central's lone baserunners came on Megan Silke's leadoff walk in the fifth, erased on a double play, and when Kelsey Gonzalez was hit by a pitch in the seventh.

"Not in my wildest dreams would I imagine I would throw a game like that," Francis said, "but a lot of credit goes to my defense. It was a great team effort defensively."

The Tigers' second baseman made a leaping liner of an Erin Graham liner in the fourth. A Nicole Kappelman hard-hit grounder off Francis' glove in the sixth was fielded by Tigers shortstop Adrienne Kruse.

"She is deceptively quick," Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. "Her motion isn't super-quick, but the ball comes at you a little quick. And we weren't disciplined enough to lay off the high ones."

Wunderlich (21-6) entered Friday's game with five straight playoff shutouts and a 40-inning scoreless streak. A vaunted Edwardsville lineup that has scored 276 runs in 39 games figured to put that run to the test.

Edwardsville's Jessica McConnell hit a two-strike chopper over third base leading off the first. An out later .531 hitter Rachael Coonrod whistled a two-strike single up the middle. Wunderlich coaxed a ground ball, but it went under the Redhawks shortstop's glove for Naperville Central's first postseason error and a Tigers 1-0 lead.

After a single a second run scored on a grounder to second, Coonrod sliding in under the tag on a throw home. What would have been a force at the plate was negated as Redhawks catcher Megan Silke's feet weren't on home plate.

"It's unfortunate that we made those kinds of mistakes," Nussbaum said. "You can't give anybody down here five outs in an inning and expect to win the game."

Wunderlich limited Edwardsville to 2 singles and 3 baserunners the rest of the game. But the damage was done, and the Redhawks (31-7) will play Fremd at 4:30 p.m. today for third place in their first trip to state in 20 years.

Edwardsville (36-4), who has won 24 straight games, will play Loyola for the 4A championship. Loyola was the last team to beat Edwardsville, 2-1 in 8 innings in international rules on April 25.

"I told the girls that if we had a chance, from the start, to do it all over again, knowing that we'd be sitting here with our heads down," Nussbaum said, "I'd do it in a heartbeat to get down here. It's a very special group of girls."