DECATUR — A year ago, it was Chatham Glenwood which had the young softball team with yet-unrealized potential.
This year, Williamsville found itself in those same shoes: a team without a senior on the roster with a very large and talented freshman class.
On Monday, June 1, the Bullets beat Bloomington Central Catholic in the Class 2A Decatur Supersectional 6-2 at the Workman Family Softball Field on the campus of Millikin University.
In the nightcap, Glenwood steamrolled Washington 11-1 in six innings to win the Class 3A Supersectional at the same facility, to give Sangamon County representatives in this week’s Class 2A and 3A state semifinals.
Williamsville (31-7) will face Carterville (37-1) at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria at 4:45 p.m. Friday, June 5. Carterville downed Red Bud 6-0 in its supersectional on Monday. The Bullets are in the state semifinals for the first time since 2018 when they finished third.
Glenwood (29-2), begins its trip to Peoria with a semifinal meeting with Oak Park Fenwick (22-11) on Friday at 12:15 p.m. Fenwick beat Lemont 4-3 in 12 innings on Monday. Glenwood needs two wins to win its second straight Class 3A state championship.
Williamsville’s time
The Bullets were held to two hits through the first five innings and trailed BCC 1-0. But has been the case for Williamsville in the last three games, the bats came alive late as the Bullets plated four runs.
It all started when Kinleigh Peters singled to lead off the inning and Reese Larson singled on a bunt back to the BCC pitcher. With one out, Hannah Louis doubled to score two runs and give Williamsville a 2-1 lead. The next batter, Olivia Heigert, doubled to left to make it 3-1 and Lucy Nell followed that up with a double off of BCC third baseman Maddi Welch. Welch instantly dropped to the turf, writhing in pain, but managed to keep playing. That put the Bullets in front 4-1.
“I think it’s just the mentality: don’t quit, just keep believing in yourselves and they support one another,” Williamsville coach Steve Dennis said. “We talk about each at-bat. We talk about bending but not breaking.
“Most of the game in a championship game like this, you just stay close and you wait for your opportunities, and they took advantage of it.”
In the seventh, Larson singled with one out, Elle Smithers bunted for a single and, with two outs, Heigert was intentionally walked. The strategy didn’t work out as Nell drove a liner to left field for a 6-1 lead. Nell finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
“Those games, they’ve proven to us that we know how to come back, we know how to fight, and we just don’t get down because we know that we can battle when it counts,” Nell said.
The Saints (23-13) got one run in the seventh, but nothing else.
The scoreboard operator might’ve had an inkling of what was to come. After Louis gave Williamsville a 2-1 lead, the scoreboard read 4-1 Williamsville. The error wasn’t fixed and the Bullets ended the frame with that same 4-1 lead.
Glenwood’s championship mentality
A stiff wind was blowing in from right field for much of the day, but despite that, Ava Bobb absolutely crushed a ball over the left-field fence for a three-run home run as Glenwood jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the third.
Freshman Jemma Lamb singled to right in the bottom of the first to put the Titans on the board for a 1-0 lead before the Titans erupted for five in the third. With bases loaded and one out, Sophia Feld grounded to the shortstop, who’s throw home was not in time to get Ryleigh Kiel. The next batter, pitcher Irie Lohrenz, helped herself with a sacrifice fly to score Lamb. With two outs, Bobb belted that home run to send the Glenwood fans into a frenzy.
Glenwood finished with 10 hits and six walks. Bobb was 2-for-3 with a sac fly, a homer and four RBIs.
Glenwood coach Vondel Edgar credited his team’s championship mettle.
“They won (state) last year, so the expectation is that they’re going to go win big games and they love playing when it matters,” Edgar said.
Glenwood’s lineup is stocked with hitters who have been coming through for two seasons now. Edgar knows it’s tough for opposing coaches.
“That’s been consistent throughout the season,” Edgar said. “Most people I talk to that we played, they’re just like, ‘There’s just no soft spots.’
“It’s tough to pitch around someone because you’re going to have to deal with somebody else.”
In 29 games, Kiel is batting .626 (57-for-91) with 40 extra-base hits, including 15 home runs, and has 42 RBIs.
Hope Gilmore, a junior second baseman, said that depth makes for a very confident team.
“It’s amazing. Like some people won’t pitch to Ryleigh,” Gilmore said. “I mean, look at her. She’s hitting .600. I wouldn’t pitch to her either. But now they have to pitch to me, they have to pitch to Ava, they have to pitch to Jemma, they have to pitch to the twins (Sophia and Sydney Feld), they have to pitch to both (Kileigh Warren and Kyleigh Donnelly), they have to pitch to Irie, Alyvia (Streb).
“Everybody in our lineup, it’s like ‘I don’t want to pitch to them,’ but you can’t walk everybody because they’ll just score on walks. And what Edgar says a lot is somebody could have an off night, but then somebody’s going to be on and it’s scary when everybody’s on.”
Glenwood has 56 homers this season, including Monday’s two from Bobb and Warren.
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Super Sangamon Softball | Williamsville, Glenwood earn trips to semis
Reporting by Ryan Mahan, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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