EAST PEORIA – It wasn’t the outcome the Lady Hornets were looking for when they got to the Illinois High School Association State Softball Finals, but their efforts allowed them to claim 4th place in Class 1A after dropping a 6-3 decision to Princeville in the consolation game at Eastside Centre here on June 3.

Princeville Wins 6-3; Heyworth Takes 4th In Class 1A: Witnessed by 300 fans, the consolation game between the Lady Hornets and the Lady Princes was scoreless for four innings, both squads’ defense having their say. Then, in the top half of the fifth inning, Heyworth (22-12) got started with a single up the middle from right fielder Madison Riley. After second baseman Alexandra Williams flied out to Princeville catcher Molly Davis for Heyworth’s first out, left fielder Maddie Quattro singled and advanced to second base on an error by Davis.

With runners at second and third, Riley scored on a single by shortstop Ashley McKinney, giving Heyworth a 1-0 lead. Next, Hornets first baseman Somer Marlett singled and advanced to second on a poor Princeville throw while McKinney and Quattro scored, increasing the Lady Hornets’ lead to 3-0. Heyworth catcher Maddie Sims and pitcher Adyson Slayback ended the inning by lining out and striking out, respectfully.

Princeville (26-9) countered in the bottom of the fifth inning, as with one out, a single to left field by center fielder Chloe Lane advanced second baseman Natalie Cokel to second after having been walked. A shot into center field by third baseman Caitlin Pullen moved her from first to second on the defensive throw, scoring Cokel, 1-0, while Lane moved to third. Lane scored on a fielder’s choice increasing the lead, 3-2, and moved Pullen to third. Princeville shortstop Jessica DeVries singled and stole second giving Pullen a chance to score, tying the game at 3-3.

Princeville first baseman Madison Roe’s triple scored DeVries, putting the Lady Princes in front, 4-3. A single by pitcher Haley Holt scored Roe, upping the lead to 5-3. Heyworth went down in order in the bottom of the sixth inning when center fielder D’Laney Gardner, shortstop Paige Schiffman, and right fielder Madison Riley went out in order.

Princeville tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth inning, making Princeville’s lead, 6-3, as Cokel scored to lead off the inning having gotten to second on a wild pitch by Heyworth’s Slayback and scored on a Lane single. In the top of the seventh, Holt sat down Williams, Quattro, and McKinney to prevent a Hornets rally.

Holt (23-6) was the winning pitcher for Princeville while Slayback (15-8) took the loss.

Heyworth head coach George VanWinkle choked up a little as he talked about media members afterward, wiping a tear or two after the team received their trophy and medallions from tourney officials for their efforts.

“A good team beat us today, that’s all you can say,” VanWinkle said. “I’m just tickled to death that we’re here. These kids…the seniors especially, have been with me since they were in sixth grade.” VanWinkle struggled to hold his emotions in check while talking about the girls he’s been coaching for that long.

McKinney said she felt good about the fact she and her teammates made it to State, but added, “Also though, it’s a sad time because my days of playing softball are over.”

“We felt a little more confident going into this game than on Friday against Goreville,” explained Gardner. “But some games don’t always end the way you want them to. Both McKinney and Gardner have plans to attend Heartland Community College this fall.

Losing To Goreville, 11-0, In Semis Sent Hornets To Consolation Game: The Hornets’ optimism toward playing in the championship game got dashed fairly quickly on June 2 as the opponents from Goreville, a community roughly 90 minutes from the Illinois-Kentucky line, blanked the Lady Hornets, 11-0. As a crowd of 550 fins watched, the Blackcats crossed Heyworth’s path first for a home run off of Slayback in the top of the third inning when first baseman Camren Anderson launched a pitch over the fence in deep left field to help her team take a 1-0 lead. Then, to lead off the top of the fourth inning, designated player Macy Goins singled, which began what turned out to be a long frustrating defensive half-inning for Heyworth.

Goreville (25-8) added six runs while the Lady Hornets accounted for two of their three errors in the contest by that point. The Blackcats went on to score one more run in the sixth inning and another two in the seventh inning to round out their scoring effort. With the victory, Blackcats pitcher Cheyenne Walker increased her record to 12-3, while Slayback finished with a 15-7 mark.

Regarding the semifinal, VanWinkle said, “The reality is, we got beat by a really good team. It’s not that we played that poorly. They just flat out beat us.”

“I was really upset, but what can you do?” Slayback said of that loss. “I’m very glad we had the chance to make it to State with these girls. They were amazing.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 3rd, 2017 at 10:54 pm and is filed under Heyworth, The Normalite. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.