Defensive gem ends Marengo’s state run

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CRYSTAL LAKE – The situation was set up as perfectly as could be for Marengo’s softball team in the bottom of the seventh inning of Saturday’s IHSA Class 3A Prairie Ridge Sectional championship game against Antioch.

The Indians had runners at second and third with one out and needed a deep fly ball to tie the game or a base hit to likely win it.

Amanda Hart hit a fly ball to center field, but Samie Seamon’s throw to the plate was in time to nail Stephanie Cartwright trying to score, and Antioch advanced to Monday’s Marengo Supersectional with a heart-stopping 3-2 win.

Cartwright led off the seventh for Marengo (34-5) with an infield hit. After Reed Karsten grounded out to move Cartwright to second, Lauren Roudabush singled to move Cartwright to third. Roudabush stole second to set up the dramatic finish.

Seamon said she was confident in her throw.

“It felt good; it felt right,” Seamon said. “I was hoping it would get [her]. I know our catcher (Amber Mysliwiec) is real good and could make the tag if necessary, and she definitely did.”

Marengo coach Dwain Nance said that his team was in the best spot it could be.

“We put ourselves in the right situation to not only tie it but win it,” Nance said. “We had the right hitter up to bat in Amanda Hart. She has been solid all year for us. It was a great throw, great catch, great tag. That’s the way it falls sometimes.”

Antioch (30-5) jumped on the board first in the second inning on an RBI single by Cat Dinklenburg to score Allie Antilla.

Antioch added two more runs in the third as winning pitcher Olivia Duehr singled in Bailan Reynolds with the second run, and losing pitcher Danielle Simons (23-4) walked Mysliwiec with the bases loaded to score Duehr with what would be the winning run.

Marengo scored two runs in the bottom half of the third after loading the bases with no one out. Duehr stuck out Hart and got Chloe Montgomery to pop out before Simons helped herself with a two-run single to right to score Cartwright and Karsten.

“I got down 0-2 and I kept fighting them off,” Simons said. “I was able to work back, and I just wanted to put the ball in play.”

Nance said some defensive plays hurt the Indians early in the game, but he saluted their effort after falling behind by three runs.

“I’m very proud of them,” he said. “We lost, 3-2, to one of the best teams in the state. What more could you ask for? They fought back the whole game.”