WILLIAMSFIELD ― In a gritty, defensive battle between two Lincoln Trail Conference rivals, Biggsville West Central continued its season on Friday, May 29, beating defending state champion Ridgewood 5-1 in a Class 1A sectional title game thanks to stellar performances on both sides of the ball.
West Central jumped out to a 2-0 lead after in the first inning an RBI single from senior Lauren Winters and an RBI triple from junior Becca Hinshaw in the second.
While the offense came through for the Heat, their defense really allowed them to shine in this one. With a lead and that confidence, junior pitcher Miley Stimpson knew it was on her to go out into the circle and heave.
“Having my defense behind me really just let me calm down and go out there and deliver,” Stimpson said. “Especially when we got those extra runs later in the game, it just gave me more confidence.”
Stimpson had five strikeouts on the day and didn’t allow a run through the first five innings.
Still, Heat coach Dylan Voyles knew he and his players couldn’t let off the gas, especially when matched up against a coach as talented as the Spartans.
“(Ridgewood coach Renae Leander) knows how to play against us,” Voyles said. “We’ve been playing against each other for years, and we’ve had a lot of good games against each other. Earlier in the year she played us tough, but the softball gods looked down on us kindly.”
That aforementioned game, a 14-10 West Central win back in April, saw the Heat come out blazing. While not nearly as high-scoring a contest, Voyles still knew West Central would need to tack on more runs to prevent a late-game surge from the Spartans.
Those insurance runs came in the form of back-to-back RBI hits in the fifth inning from freshman Lilly Higgins and junior Kaylee Mills, expanding the lead to 4-0.
The Spartans broke through in the bottom of the sixth, after a leadoff walk to junior MacKenzie Peck. She would be brought all the way around on a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single from freshman Monica Herreld.
However, as they had done in every situation up to that point, West Central would respond, this time with a two-out RBI single from Mills in the seventh.
Despite a two-out double from Ridgewood freshman standout Campbell Casteel (to pair with her nine strikeouts in the circle), Stimpson would induce a groundout to end the game and claim a sectional title for the Heat.
As cheers erupted and gloves flew into the air, fans from the crowd began to fill the field to congratulate the players on their victory, one that meant everything to West Central.
Now on a 28-game winning streak, West Central (33-2-1) advances to a Monday, June 1, super-sectional game in Sterling against Dakota.
“I know we celebrated out there like it was a state championship, but for us, this is everything.” Voyles said. “Nobody expects this from us, nobody knows us, and we’re trying to change that.”
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: West Central softball eliminates defending 1A state champs, makes super-sectional
Reporting by Kellan King, Special to the Register-Mail / Galesburg Register-Mail
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
