Softball: St. Charles North advances to state championship game

With the definitive smack of Paige Murray's final pitch into Sophia Olman's glove, St. Charles North ensured its dance to future glory has one final number to get through.

St. Charles North, who last advanced to the Class 4A state title game in 2011, will meet Marist in the championship on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. after a gutsy 2-0 victory over Edwardsville in Friday's state semifinal.

North Stars junior ace Ava Goettel went toe-to-toe with Edwardsville senior star pitcher Rayleigh Owens — who entered with a 20-1 record, an 0.58 ERA and 160 strikeouts — over her five innings.

”She's tough,” North Stars coach Tom Poulin said of Goettel. “Last year, she was in jams against good teams and she just battles. She's so calm in the moment. She's living in the moment. She just does what she needs to do to get out of the innings and then she's the one who comes over and says: ‘Yeah, I think it's time for [Murray].“

Julia Larson's instinctive base-running for the North Stars' insurance run, meanwhile, was just part of the tale of an eventful game.

Edwardsville (31-4-1) will play Barrington for third place at 1 p.m.

Locked in a scoreless pitcher's duel in the fifth inning, Edwardsville's Sydney Lawrence reached on a single to start a pivotal sequence in the game.

After stealing second base, Lawrence broke for third as Larson appeared to slightly drift away from the bag.

Goettel still held the ball in the circle. Lawrence took off and stood on third, apparently with a potential stolen base for a brief moment.

Goettel, meanwhile, promptly threw to second. After a lengthy umpire conference, Lawrence was called out in a momentum-shifting play.

“When the ball is in the circle, you can go one direction [in the base paths], unless they make a play on you,” Edwardsville coach Lori Blade said. “If they make a play, then you can change direction. [Lawrence] didn't change direction in any way, but it is what it is. We had opportunities and that play didn't determine the game. It's just two different interpretations of the rule ... the first three innings, we had opportunities to score and just couldn't get it.”

“ ... Zoey did what I told her to do,” Blade said. “It's on me. Do I agree with the call? I do not. But, [the umpires] interpret the rule different from I do. Obviously, it cost us. Who knows what happens? But, she did exactly what I wanted her to do. The ball is in play. They left a base, we took the base. They called her out for leaving.”

Goettel knew she was in the circle.

“I knew she was going to be out no matter what they were talking about,” Goettel said. “I never stepped out of that circle and I checked her at second. She was standing still. She's not going when I am in the circle and she can't move. She can't go.”

Goettel, who escaped a number of small jams in the first three innings, forced a groundout and earned her fourth strikeout, to escape the threat. Goettel went five innings, surrendering three hits and struck out four.

The North Stars' offense, following a clean Murray sixth with two strikeouts, soon took over.

Margo Geary reached on a leadoff single and Leigh Vande Hei's groundout moved her to second. Ashlee Chantos followed with a single and advanced to second after the throw was sent home to block Geary from advancing.

Larson then slapped just enough of a grounder to Owens, whose throw home to catcher Lexie Griffin skipped away as Geary came home for the first run of the game. Larson moved to second.

Chantos was then caught in an ensuing rundown at third and was tagged out. Larson, meanwhile, saw her opening to dash home as the ball went back toward Owens, scoring for a 2-0 North Stars' lead.

“No, [Poulin] didn't give me anything [like a stop sign],” Larson said. “He was looking at home plate, just like everyone else. I just took off.”

Larson safely slid into home for the insurance run. In the seventh Murray gave up a two-out walk, but sent the North Stars into the final with her third strikeout in relief to end it.

“That's all [Larson],” Poulin said. “Shes's got one of the highest softball IQs of anyone I've ever coached. She's a coach on the field and those plays — she's done that here and there throughout the season. When it happens, it doesn't surprise you; [well], it shocks you initially and [then] you realize that's just Julia being Julia.”

Owens went the complete game, allowing four hits and striking out two.

“ ... Ryleigh makes that play [on the throw home] 99% of the time,” Blade said. “Then, they snuck one in on us, but that's how the game goes, especially at this level. It goes quick and, you have to be able to do your job.”