Softball wins regional championship, upsets Farmington
- Details
- Category: Sports
- Published on Wednesday, 25 May 2011 18:21
- Written by Matt Sheaffer
The IVC varsity softball girls have once again claimed the regional title!
The girls played Brimfield last Wednesday in the regional semifinal at Eureka. Both teams were tied 3-3 at the end of regulation and the game continued into overtime. In the top of the eighth, Hannah Johnson stepped in as the relief pitcher for Jenna Noland and prevented Brimfield from adding to their score. In the bottom of the eighth, Hannah McCorkle hit the game-winning RBI with a line drive to second that brought Shelby Sutherland home.
Against Brimfield, Kathleen Gawitz hit 2 for 4 with three stolen bases. Ellen Pearson and Hannah McCorkle hit 2 for 4 with one RBI each. Jenna Noland pitched the first seven innings and struck out three, and Hannah Johnson pitched the eighth and struck out one.
With the victory over Brimfield, IVC advanced to the regional championship game against Farmington. Farmington, then undefeated at 28-0 and ranked fourth in state overall, was considered by many to be the powerhouse team in this year’s local playoffs. Little did they know the surprise they were in for when the Lady Ghosts upset them!
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Farmington broke the ice with a home run. IVC quickly responded in the top of the fifth when a two-run single from Kathleen Gawitz gave the Ghosts a narrow lead. Jenna Noland did the rest with some well-aimed pitching, and IVC came out on top with a 2-1 victory. “It was just a great win for our program,” commented Coach Mike Berchtold. “We got the one that counted.”
The victory over Farmington marked IVC’s sixth regional softball championship in the past seven years. The Lady Grey Ghosts (22-9) now advance to play Sherrard (26-2) in the sectional semifinal, scheduled for 5 p.m. tonight (Wednesday) at Quincy Notre Dame High School. If the Ghosts win, they will advance to the sectional championship game held Saturday morning at 11 a.m., also at Quincy Notre Dame.
The road ahead will be tough, but Coach Berchtold believes that his team has the talent and the spirit to press on. “They got pretty fired up playing an undefeated team,” he said. “We hope we can take that over to Quincy and accomplish the same thing.”
