IT'S A WINNER: Calhoun outlasts Campbell Hill Trico 4-0 in 17-inning softball marathon
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EAST PEORIA – Hardin-Calhoun's softball team has had to work overtime to get to where they are at this moment in this year's IHSA Class 1A Softball Championship.
Like 14 innings. Like 13 innings. And now, like 17 innings.
And all of them were scoreless ties until the Warriors' final at-bats.
In the Liberty Sectional final, the Warriors had to go 14 innings to eliminate Camp Point Central 1-0, then in the Springfield Supersectional at UI-Springfield, Calhoun had to go 13 innings before they ousted Casey-Westfield. Both times, Kassidy Klocke got the hit that drove in the game-winning run.
It went longer in Friday's Class 1A semifinal game against Campbell Hill Trico at East Peoria's EastSide Centre, and Klocke got another hit in the top of the 17th, this one to load the bases with one out to bring up freshman Sophie Lorton.
And Lorton delivered – big-time.
Lorton stroked a bases-clearing triple to right to put Calhoun up 3-0, with Macy Margherio then singling in Lorton for an additional run. All the Warriors had to do was leave it up to Grace Baalman, who struck out the side after giving up a leadoff single to put the defending champion Warriors back into the state championship game, where they'll face Princeville – 7-1 winners over Fisher in Friday's other semifinal contest – at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Grace Baalman herself had a huge day, setting tournament and state single-game records for most strikeouts in a game by fanning 39 Pioneers, topping the tournament record of 34 by Alexis United's Katie Bertleson in the 2009 final and 38 jointly held by Rock Island Alleman's Karen Marie Pena in 1999 and equaled by Lemont's Suzie Rzegocki in 2007.
“Grace does what she does,” said Warrior coach Matt Baalman. “She knows how to win and she's mentally tough. She does everything she can for the team.
“We've got some confidence when we're faced with the games we've been in lately. We've been there a few times (during the postseason).”
Baalman opened the game with nine straight strikeouts, allowing only Sydney Levan to reach base twice, on a leadoff single in the first and on a dropped third strike in the third; both times, Levan got to second on a wild pitch in the first but was thrown out trying to steal second in the third. From that point, Baalman retired the next 24 batters in a row, 17 by strikeout.
Pioneer pitcher Jade Kranawetter held the Warriors at bay herself, retiring 17 in a row at one point before giving up a single to Grace Baalman in the top of the seventh; stole second and third, but Kranawetter fanned Madison Lehr and Klocke to end the threat. Calhoun mounted threats in the ninth and 11th, but Kranawetter put out the fire both times to keep the game scoreless.
Trico mounted a threat in the bottom of the 12th when Lexi Smith singled and was sacrificed to second by Jaelin King; Levan then hit a grounder to third baseman Emma Baalman, who tagged Smith out to cut the heart out of the rally. The Pioneers came up with one more rally in the bottom of the 16th when Juhle Prange doubled to left to lead off the inning, but Baalman struck out two and got Emily Bauersacks to foul out to first to end the inning.
Then came the Warrior half of the 17th; Grace Baalman opened by drawing a walk and Emma Baalman sacrificed Grace Baalman to second. Lehr then walked to put runners at first and second before Klocke delivered a single to right to load the bases, bringing up Lorton.
Lorton found her pitch and drove it to the fence in right to clear the bases and put the Warriors up 3-0, much to the delight of the Calhoun fans who made the trip to East Peoria.
“When Sophie hits (the ball), it travels well,” Matt Baalman said. “She really got a big hit for us when it counted.”
Lorton then came home herself when Margherio singled her in to make it 4-0 for an insurance run; Grace Baalman closed it out in the bottom of the 17th after Katie Gale's leadoff single and steal of second, striking out Smith, King and Levan to send the Warriors to the final.
Grace Baalman was 3-for-4 on the day at the plate while Lorton was 1-for-7 with the triple and three RBIs; Abby Baalman, Lehr, Klocke and Margherio had the other hits for the Warriors. Grace Baalman only gave up four hits on the day while striking out five Pioneers five times each.
Saturday's game will be live-streamed on IHSA.tv via the National Federation of High School Association's live-streaming site.
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