Softball: Aurora Central Catholic falls in regional final
After Marengo‘s Jozsa Christiansen fell behind 1-0 in the count to Aurora Central Catholic‘s Sophia Delgado after already walking a pair of batters in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday, catcher Kylee Jensen called a timeout to talk to her pitcher.
Not about anything serious.
“I actually pointed to this little girl in the outfield and said, ‘Look at her pigtails,’ ” Jensen said. “It was nothing softball related. Normally it’s never softball related.
“Me and Jozsa are pretty close friends. We hang out outside of softball, too, so I just talk to her about something random to get her mind off things. She does her best when she’s loose and having fun.”
With runners on first and second and one out, Christiansen dialed in. She retired the next batter on the next pitch on a lineout to center field. A single by Madalyn Torrance loaded the bases with two outs, but Christiansen bounced back.
Abby Gambro flew out to right fielder Mia Feidt, who raced in to make the catch, and the Indians topped the Chargers 6-3 to win the Class 2A Marengo Regional final.
Marengo will face Morrison or Princeton in a Marian Central Sectional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The Indians (27-9) now have 25 regional titles in program history – and 16 over their past 18 seasons under coach Dwain Nance.
“This is big, especially with Jozsa on the mound,” Jensen said. “A senior, a pretty big moment for her. She was kind of in the shadows for the last three years, just kind of waiting for her year.”
Christiansen battled her control most of the game, walking seven and hitting two batters, but she was able to keep the Chargers (23-10) at bay outside of a three-run fourth that put the Indians in a 3-2 hole.
Marengo junior first baseman Ari Rodriguez didn’t let ACC’s lead last much longer, however, when she drilled a two-run home run to right-center field in the bottom half of the inning off junior pitcher Corina Miller to go up 4-3.
The Indians tacked on single runs in the fifth and sixth.
“The first one was a changeup, and the second one, I realized I had to wait on it,” Rodriguez said. “Once I saw it, I was like, ‘This is the one.’ I was so stoked. It meant a lot to the team. It brought up the energy and everything. I was really proud of myself.”
Aurora Central Catholic left 12 runners on base, including three in the first and seventh innings. Sophomore Abby Gambro ripped a two-run double in the fourth inning, and Jessica Pleckham drove in the third run of the inning on a groundout.
The inning could have been much bigger for the Chargers (23-10), but they got caught in a rundown between third base and home plate for the second out. Senior center fielder Kate Gambro, with sister Abby on third, then flew out to deep center field, where Marengo’s Gianna Iovinelli made a running catch against the fence.
“We left 12 runners on base, and we have to take accountability for that,” Chargers coach Mark Pasqualini said. “I thought our approach was good. We were swinging at the pitches we could hit, we just didn’t square them up.”
Aurora Central Catholic, which was hoping to capture its first regional championship since 2019, won 20-plus games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
Kate Gambro, one of seven seniors on ACC, said the team got better and better each day.
“A lot of our starters have been together the last four years, and a lot of us play travel together, too,” Gambro said. “It was easy for us to play together and have fun and still win because we’re all just used to the way we play.”
Gambro praised Miller, who allowed three earned runs, as a big reason for the team’s recent success.
“She pitched most games for us, including every important conference game,” Gambro said. “You know when she goes out, she’s going to throw it good. It just [stinks] when the hitting doesn’t back her up. She can’t do anything about that.”
Grace Grunloh and Torrance each had two hits for ACC, while Charlotte Brummel and Delgado each had a hit and a run scored.
Junior shortstop Gabby Christopher led the offense for Marengo, finishing 3 for 4 with two doubles and three RBIs. She smacked a two-run double to left-center field to give her team a 2-0 lead in the third and added a one-run double in the fifth for a 5-3 lead.
Gabby Gieseke added two runs scored and one RBI.
Christopher had missed the previous two games, the first for a family graduation and the second – the Indians’ regional semifinal win over Byron – because of food poisoning. The slugger who set the McHenry County record with 20 home runs last season got her team off to a roaring start.
“I came into this game with a ton of energy,” Christopher said. “I was super hyped to get on the field. When I saw my pitch, I knew what I had to do.”