Softball: Lakes uses bizarre final play to oust Antioch
Updated: May 23, 2012 9:16PM
Lakes softball coach Bill Hammill undoubtedly had a plan drawn up that would produce a victory over host Antioch in the Class 3A semifinal on Wednesday.
And it might have included a fifth-inning home run by Jamie Dykstra that broke a 1-1 tie and was followed by a clutch two-run single by Megan Massie that fueled a four-run rally.
But there’s no way he could have planned for the way his team got the final out of a 5-4 victory over Antioch that vaulted the 23-12 Eagles into Saturday’s winnable regional final against Grayslake North.
Here’s how it went down in the top of the seventh:
Antioch trailed 5-3 and had runners on second and first with two out. Kaylene Ressler singled into center to score the runner from second, and courtesy runner Bella Hoffman advanced from first to second. She didn’t try for third because the throw from the outfield toward the plate was cut off by Lakes pitcher Taylor Dishinger between the mound, home and third base.
Meanwhile, Ressler rounded first and raced to second where, much to the chagrin of Antioch fans, Hoffman already was standing.
With two runners literally standing on the same base and the ball in the pitcher’s hand, Hoffman opted to run toward third, but was thrown out by as much as you can get thrown out by on the bases in softball.
Game over.
“That one kind of hurts. Especially when something like that happens. We had some miscommunication at first base between the runner and the coach,” said first-year coach Anthony Rizzo, who loses only one starter from a team that finished 21-15.
“We have a lot of juniors in our program coming back, a lot of sophomores moving up, and of course the five freshman and the two sophomores that have started for us. We won 21 games, including four in a row when our senior was out. That’s a good indicator of what we have ahead of us.”
Kaytee Keefe was 3-for-4 and homered in a losing cause.
In each of the last two seasons, Antioch KO’d Lakes from the regional, which made this victory especially sweet for Dykstra, a senior shortstop.
“It’s awesome. They’re a great team. We’ve played against them so many times. Finally this year we got another crack at them in the playoffs and took care of business, she said.
Lakes beat Antioch in all three meetings this season.
Grayslake North will trying on Saturday to win its seconds straight regional title and split a pair of games this year with Lakes.
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