Cheyenne Walker’s Two-Run Homer In 12th Inning Gives Goreville 2-0 Win Over Calhoun, Advances To Third Straight Class 1A Final
EAST PEORIA – A first-pitch home run by Cheyenne Walker with nobody out in the top of the 12th inning gave Goreville a 2-0 win over Hardin Calhoun in the IHSA Class 1A softball state semifinals Friday afternoon at Eastside Centre in East Peoria.
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The Blackcats advanced to their third straight final with the win, and are now 29-9 on the season.
It was a magnificently pitched game by both the Warriors’ Sydney Baalman and Goreville’s Kelsey Ray. Baalman struck out 21 Goreville batters in the game, while Ray fanned 18.
The Blackcats had an opportunity in the opening inning when Lexi King singled and stole second, but Baalman struck out Ray, and King was thrown out at third trying to steal to end the inning. Goreville then got a runner to third in the fourth, when King doubled and was sacrificed to third by Ray. Baalman then struck out Sam Licka to end the inning.
Goreville had another chance in the sixth, on back-to-back one-out singles by Adrianna Licka and Payton Sopczak. Both were sacrificed to second and third by King, but Ray struck out to end the inning.
In the meantime, Ray faced the minimum in the first six-and-two-thirds innings, only allowing one baserunner in the third, when Autumn Brannan was hit by a pitch. Brannan was caught stealing second, with catcher Abby King making a good throw to Sam Licka at short to throw out Brannan and end the third.
Ray had seven strikeouts, fanning the side in the sixth, and struck out the first two batters in the home half of the seventh when the Warriors threatened push across the winning run. With two out, Sydney Baalman singled for Calhoun’s first hit, and Holly Baalman reached on a ground ball that was ruled an error by the second baseman, putting the winning run in scoring position. Ashleigh Presley grounded to the first baseman unassisted to send the game into extra innings, the third straight time the Warriors went have gone that route in the state semifinals.
Both teams had a chance to win in the eighth. Destani Bennett, hitting for Kyleigh Massey, singled and went to second on an Adrianna Licka sacrifice to third. Sopczak singled to put runners on the corners, and King was intentionally walked to load the bases. Baalman then struck out both Ray and Sam Licka to get out of the jam and keep the game scoreless.
The Warriors got their leadoff batter on in the bottom of the inning, starting when Ella Sievers lined to the third baseman, who apparently made the catch, but was ruled to have dropped the ball. It was also ruled an error, then Elly Pohlman singled Sievers to second, the only other hit for Calhoun on the day. Both runners advanced on a sacrifice one out later, but Sophie Lorton was called out on strikes to end the inning.
Sydney Baalman struck out the side in the ninth and gave up a two-out single to Sopczak, but on a steal attempt, Sopczak was called out for leaving first base too soon to end the inning.
The Blackcats broke through in the 12th, starting with a leadoff single by King, and then on the first pitch, Walker homered over the fence in left-center to give Goreville a 2-0 lead. Bennett singled one out later, but Baalman got the last two outs, striking out Sopczak for her 21st of the day.
Ray set down the last 12 Warrior batters in a row from the ninth to the 12th innings, getting Holly Baalman to ground out to third to end the game in favor of Goreville, advancing them to the final.
The Blackcats will face Glasford Illini Bluffs, a 5-1 winner over Peru St. Bede Catholic in the first semifinal, for the Class 1A state title Saturday morning, starting at 11:30 a.m. The Warriors are now 30-5 and will play the Bruins in the third and fourth place game, starting at 9 a.m.
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