PEORIA — Marist and Lincoln-Way Central started the 2021 season as the No. 1 and 2 teams in the Southland.
They will end it as the No. 1 and 2 teams in the state.
That was assured on Thursday afternoon, when both were successful in Class 4A semifinal games at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
Marist, behind a no-hitter by senior pitcher Abby Dunning, beat Huntley 1-0.
Lincoln-Way Central, behind the pitching and hitting of Lyndsey Grein, defeated Minooka 4-0.
The two earned a head-to-head battle at 5 p.m. Thursday for the state championship.
Meanwhile, dreams coming true were abound.
For Dunning (27-1), it was a triumphant return to the state stage. In 2019, she was the No. 2 pitcher for the RedHawks, who finished fourth.
The Boston College commit struck out 13 against Huntley (35-7).
“That is great, but that’s with the help of my defense,” Dunning said. “They made great plays behind me. I couldn’t have done it without everyone on this team.
“Every other pitch my teammates were coming up and giving me high-fives. They have my back. I have confidence in myself and I have confidence in my team. Just our team chemistry brought us to victory.”
So did some well-timed base running.
Marist (37-1) scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the third.
Easton Lotus was on second base with two outs when Isabel Cunnea hit a chopper toward the shortstop.
Distraction, anyone?
“I wasn’t trying to do that,” Lotus said. “I was trying to run around her, because if I made contact with the ball I would be out. I didn’t want a dead-ball situation.”
The shortstop was unable to make the play, with the ball bouncing past her into left-center. Lotus came around to score.
By any definition, it was clutch contact by Cunnea.
“I knew that as long as I hit it on the ground, Easton would score,” Cunnea said. “She’s so fast. She’s so amazing. And it worked out our way.
“It feels amazing. But it’s not all about me. It’s about Abby, too, and the defense.”
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Lotus singled and stole second before coming in on Cunnea’s hit. She reached base all three times against Huntley ace Briana Bower.
“I was just trying to get on for my teammates,” Lotus said. “I know I have great hitters like Isabel and Emily Bojan behind me. So I was just trying to hit the ball on the ground.”
In Lincoln-Way Central’s win over Minooka, Grein was a two-way star.
The Virginia Tech recruit fired a one-hit shutout, striking out eight.
She also broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fifth when her RBI double to left scored Jamie Widule.
“I was having kind of cave man thoughts,” Grein said, laughing. “Like, ‘See ball, hit, swing, go, run.’ When you’re scratching for that run, that’s all that kind of runs through your mind.”
Grace Kmak added an RBI double in the sixth before Grein finished the scoring for the Knights with a line-drive, two-run homer in the seventh.
“Oh, that was awesome just to get across a couple more runs for my team,” Grein said. “It really felt good.”
Especially when the chance to win a state title is the reward.
“I really never imagined this, but now that I’m here, I’m really liking it,” Grein said. “We have an amazing group of girls. It’s an awesome experience.
“We’re really a family. And I think it’s cool to be here playing some good ball with your family.”