Kaneland’s Corinne Pugh didn’t fear failure when stepping up to the plate to face Antioch ace Jacey Schuler on Tuesday.
“We had nothing to lose, everything to gain,” Pugh said. “I just kept that mindset through the game, and it helps.”
It helped Pugh. The sophomore catcher reached base in both of her plate appearances as she drew a walk in the bottom of the third inning and lined a single to center to lead off the sixth.
“She was pretty good with her spin,” Pugh said. “There were a few times where I could actually see what pitch she was going to throw.
“I could see her grip beforehand, so that helped with laying off the rise ball. And then I just attacked the first low pitch I saw.”
But Pugh was the only Kaneland batter Schuler failed to retire in a virtuoso performance at the Class 3A Kaneland Supersectional. The sophomore pitched a three-hit shutout with one walk and 13 strikeouts to lead Antioch to a 9-0 victory.
The Sequoits (29-3), ranked No. 1 in 3A in the Illinois Softball Coaches Association’s poll, advance to play No. 2 Lemont (32-6) in a state semifinal at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria at 10 a.m. Friday. The host Knights (14-12) had their fine playoff run end after dominating wins over Woodstock, Crystal Lake Central, Sterling and Belvidere North.
“We started out pretty hot at the beginning of the year, and toward the last 2 1/2 to 3 weeks of the season we trended down a little bit,” Kaneland coach Mike Kuefler said. “We got in a little bit of a slump, and to have these girls reach down inside and find something to take us to the supersectional, that is exceptional.
“They willed themselves into this game, and we finally ran into a team that was too tough.”
The Knights had allowed only four runs in four previous playoff games, but Antioch scored that many in the first two innings off senior Grace Algrim, who allowed nine runs, 10 hits and two walks while striking out five.
Wisconsin recruit Eden Echevarria and Illinois recruit Gabby Debevec led off the top of the first with back-to-back doubles, and Schuler followed with an RBI groundout. Schuler drove in four runs, as did cleanup hitter Emily Brecht, a Tennessee Tech recruit who belted a two-run home run in the fourth and a two-run single in the sixth to cap the scoring.
That was more than enough production for Schuler (20-2), who has given up one run in five postseason starts. Pugh, Jenna Harper and right fielder Izzy Stombres had singles for the Knights, who put only five balls into the outfield against Schuler.
“She just kept us off balance all day long,” Kuefler said. “She didn’t throw with a ton of velocity, but she did enough to keep us guessing at the plate.
“We just couldn’t find a way to get comfortable up there, and she took advantage of it.”
That was true even when the Knights, who didn’t get a runner past first base until the seventh, were able to get base runners.
Pugh led off the third with a walk but was doubled off first when Schuler made a great running catch of Angelina Campise’s bunt. In the sixth, Schuler struck out the side after Pugh’s single.
“It was kind of unfortunate,” Pugh said. “We kind of struggled this game, but we still had some hits.”
The retiring Kuefler, who coached Kaneland to second place in the 2018 state finals, won’t be around to see them, but the Knights will return Pugh, Stombres, Campise, Emily Olp, Kailey Plank, Lexi Workman and pitchers Morgan Iwanski and Kyra Johnson.
“We’re losing some seniors, unfortunately,” Pugh said. “But we have kind of a younger team, so I think we’ll be OK next year.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.