WILLIAMSVILLE — Williamsville junior catcher Ella Greer showed off her plate discipline after falling behind Rochester pitcher Jaelyn Watts on an 0-2 count and worked a leadoff walk in a tie game in the top of the seventh inning.
Her courtesy runner, Lyla Smithers, ended up being the go-ahead score as Williamsville beat Rochester 7-3 to win the Class 2A Williamsville Sectional softball championship on Friday at Jane Grebner Field.
It’s the kind of patience at the plate that would’ve made the legendary former Bullets’ coach herself happy. It certainly made current Williamsville coach Steve Dennis beam.
“That was an incredible at-bat,” Dennis said. “Being down 0-2, Jaedyn’s going to try to get you to nibble and swing at that high stuff. For the entire game, (the players are being reminded), ‘You’ve got to be disciplined.’ Credit to (Greer) for laying off two or three high pitches there and drew that walk, so it was a phenomenal at-bat by her.”
It’s the first sectional crown for Williamsville since the 2018 team finished third in the Class 2A state tournament.
Greer said she could feel a different energy after she drew the walk.
“It felt like it was the turning point because we were neck-and-neck the whole game and then I think having the top (of the lineup) come back and bringing the energy back from a walk down 0-2,” Greer said.
After Greer’s walk, the No. 9 hitter, Kinleigh Peters laid down a well-executed sacrifice bunt to move Smithers to second. The Bullets’ leadoff hitter, Reese Larson, then reached on a throwing error by Rochester shortstop Isabella Harness, whose throw pulled first baseman Mylie Deatherage off the bag, putting runners at the corners with just one out.
Junior Elle Smithers then drew a walk of her own to load the bases ahead of freshman Hannah Louis, who hit a two-run home run in the top of the fourth to put the Bullets ahead 2-0. Louis got her third and fourth RBIs with a double off the base of the wall in left-center field to put Williamsville on top 5-3. Olivia Heigert laid down another sac bunt to score another runner and Lucy Nell got an RBI single to drop in left field for a four-run lead.
“We just had so much build-up to that point in the game and I think everyone had so much energy leading up to that at-bat,” Greer said. “Top of the seventh, we just knew we could do it.”
Williamsville (30-7) will face Bloomington Central Catholic (23-13) for the Class 2A Decatur Supersectional at Millikin University’s Workman Family Softball Field on Monday at 4 p.m. The Saints beat Tolono Unity 4-1 in the Monticello Sectional title game, also on Friday. The supersectional winner will advance to the 2A state tournament semifinals, to be played Thursday, June 4 at 4:45 p.m. at Peoria’s Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
“I was really proud of (Greer) on that (walk),” Louis said. “She knew what she was doing there. She’s really good of just letting it go by if it’s not there. She started it all for us.”
Monster fourth inning
Louis put Williamsville ahead 2-0 in the top of the fourth, and while the rest of her team kept batting, she was warming up to replace Heigert in the circle for the second time in two games.
Rochester junior Peyton Purves got the Rockets’ second baserunner with one out. The next batter, Kendall Edmonson, took Louis’ first pitch over the fence just to the left of the scoreboard in center field to tie the game. Quickly, Deatherage untied it with a solo homer three pitches later off the scoreboard as Rochester took a 3-2 lead.
“That was a great inning. We knew that we had to come out and we could hit off Louis,” Rochester coach Lindsay Howard said. “She’s a great pitcher and (Heigert) did a great job in the first (three) innings, but we knew we were going to try to come out and jump right on (Louis) and we did.”
It stayed that way until Louis singled up the middle with one out in the sixth and her courtesy runner, Joee Griffitts, reached second on a ground out before Nell drove in Griffitts with another single up the middle as Williamsville tied it 3-3.
“One to nine (hitters), we’re pretty solid, so any time we get a girl on base, it’s really a good thing,” Dennis said.
Louis retired her fourth, fifth and sixth batters in a row as she was cruising in the bottom of the sixth to set up the Bullets’ massive seventh.
“I had to take a breath (after giving up the back-to-back homers),” Louis said. “My coach came up and talked to me. After that, it was just lights on again.”
Two Williamsville freshmen made catches in the outfield to rob Rochester (25-9) of more potential runs. In the bottom of the second, center fielder Mia Gallaher laid out to rob Brooklyn Thompson with a runner on second and two outs. In the fifth, Heigert took away a dying line drive by Emmah Brown in left. If Williamsville football coach Aaron Kunz saw those plays, he might try to recruit Gallaher and Heigert for some reps at wide receiver.
“Mia’s not even a natural center fielder and she’s played center field for us all year,” Dennis said. “(Heigert) is a natural shortstop. Just shows you they’re so athletic and they want to win so they make plays and that’s exactly what they did.”
Louis finished 3-for-4 with a double, a homer and four RBIs.
“I’ve been thinking about this moment all day today,” Louis said. “Ever since I woke up, I’ve been thinking about this game. I was really focused on laying off that rise-ball and just waiting for my pitch.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Williamsville first baseman junior Bailey Wherley turned an unassisted double play for the first two outs.
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
Class 3A
Centralia Sectional
No. 1 Chatham Glenwood 9, No. 1 Waterloo 2
Senior outfielder Ryleigh Kiel broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning, and defending champion Glenwood found its groove from there to secure a spot in the supersectional title game.
The Titans (28-2) play No. 1 subsectional seed Washington (26-8) at the Millikin University Supersectional in Decatur on Monday, June 1 at 6 p.m. Washington defeated top seed Champaign Central 3-2 and won the Lincoln Sectional championship.
Kiel finished 4-for-4 with two home runs, five RBIs and three runs scored in the leadoff spot. The Titans collected 17 hits and quickly erased a 2-0 deficit by scoring two runs in the bottom half of the first.
Kiel started the inning with a double and scored on Hope Gilmore’s double to center field. Jemma Lamb, who finished 3-for-4, then singled to bring in Gilmore to even the game 2-2. Kileigh Warren (2-for-3, two runs) delivered in the 9-hole with a line drive double to open the second, leading to Kiel’s first homer to left field for a 4-2 lead.
The Titans tacked on five runs in the fifth. Sydney Feld (2-for-4) led off the inning with a solo home run, and Warren added an RBI single to push the lead to 5-2. That led to Kiel’s second home run, a three-run blast to center field. Kyleigh Donnelly finished 2-for-3 with a run, and winning pitcher Irie Lohrenz doubled.
Lohrenz gave up two earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and three walks. She navigated through the top half of the first when Waterloo scored twice with three singles, a hit-by-pitch and two walks. Aidan Dintelman and Ava Brown each had an RBI single in the first for the Bulldogs (27-4).
Lohrenz settled in after that and threw six innings before being relieved in the seventh by Alyvia Streb, who struck out the side and allowed one hit in one inning of work.
— Trevor Lawrence
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Perfect patience | Greer’s walk in 7th sparks Williamsville to title
Reporting by Ryan Mahan, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
