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Lady Tigers finish fourth at state
It was not the way they wanted to end the season, but the Tri-City Lady Tigers still finished fourth in the IESA Class A state softball tournament Saturday at Champion
Fields in Normal.
Entering the day with a 20-game winning streak, the Lady Tigers (20-3) only managed one run in two games and finished fourth, losing to Bloomington Holy Trinity 14-0
in the third place after falling 8-1 to Bourbonnais Maternity BVM in the semifinals.
Against Holy Trinity, T-C had just two hits, one from Heather McDaniel and Olivia Vetter.
The only run against Bourbonnais came in the seventh, with Amber Ford scoring. Payton Sturdy had two hits, with McDaniel, Jourdan Pressler, Katie Jarrett and Vetter all
chipping in one hit.
T-C left eight runners on base and had several hard-hit balls right at the defense, noted coach Payton Cloe.
***
On Friday, the Lady Tigers banged out 15 hits in a 11-6 win over the Tremont Turks.
Tremont scored two runs in the second, then T-C responded with five markers in the third.
Pressler singled and later scored on a wild pitch.
Vetter slapped a basehit and scored on Brooke Prehoda’s hit.
Sturdy walked and scampered home on Jarrett’s hit.
Prehoda scored on a close play at the plate after getting caught in a rundown and McDaniel doubled in a run.
The Lady Tigers almost had more, but Aubrey Hunt’s screamer to left field was snared.
T-C loaded the bases with none out in the fourth (walk to Pressler and slap hits from Hailey Patrick and Vetter), but the Lady Tigers could not cash in.
They made up for it in the fifth, exploding for six markers.
McDaniel singled, as did Hunt. Kaylee Carey walked, with Ford entering to run.
Pressler singled in a run, then Patrick’s fielder’s choice plated another.
Vetter reached on a fielder’s choice and later scored on a wild pitch, while Sturdy singled in two and Prehoda crushed a triple for another run.
Hunt also singled in the sixth and seventh, the latter after McDaniel’s hit, but they were left on.
Tremont scored twice in the fifth and seventh but never seriously threatened.
“I could not be happier with my first year of coaching softball at Tri-City,” said Cloe. “The ladies worked hard and the improvements made by each was mind-boggling.
“I would be lying if I said that at the beginning of the year I expected us to make it to the State Tournament and place fourth,” he continued. “I saw so much grit, toughness
and resiliency from this group, especially starting in regionals.”
The Lady Tigers squeaked out a 1-0 win over Little Flower in the semifinals and then defeated top seed St. Agnes in the regional final before rolling past Mt. Olive in the
sectional.
“We have a great core group coming back for next year and if we work hard and put in the effort, we could have another run that results in a trip to State again,” said Cloe.
McDaniel is the only eighth grader on the squad.
“What else needs to be said about this great group of ladies,” he concluded. “I thank them for always giving 100 percent on the field and I can only hope future teams use
this group as role models of how to play softball and play it correctly.”
It was not the way they wanted to end the season, but the Tri-City Lady Tigers still finished fourth in the IESA Class A state softball tournament Saturday at Champion
Fields in Normal.
Entering the day with a 20-game winning streak, the Lady Tigers (20-3) only managed one run in two games and finished fourth, losing to Bloomington Holy Trinity 14-0
in the third place after falling 8-1 to Bourbonnais Maternity BVM in the semifinals.
Against Holy Trinity, T-C had just two hits, one from Heather McDaniel and Olivia Vetter.
The only run against Bourbonnais came in the seventh, with Amber Ford scoring. Payton Sturdy had two hits, with McDaniel, Jourdan Pressler, Katie Jarrett and Vetter all
chipping in one hit.
T-C left eight runners on base and had several hard-hit balls right at the defense, noted coach Payton Cloe.
***
On Friday, the Lady Tigers banged out 15 hits in a 11-6 win over the Tremont Turks.
Tremont scored two runs in the second, then T-C responded with five markers in the third.
Pressler singled and later scored on a wild pitch.
Vetter slapped a basehit and scored on Brooke Prehoda’s hit.
Sturdy walked and scampered home on Jarrett’s hit.
Prehoda scored on a close play at the plate after getting caught in a rundown and McDaniel doubled in a run.
The Lady Tigers almost had more, but Aubrey Hunt’s screamer to left field was snared.
T-C loaded the bases with none out in the fourth (walk to Pressler and slap hits from Hailey Patrick and Vetter), but the Lady Tigers could not cash in.
They made up for it in the fifth, exploding for six markers.
McDaniel singled, as did Hunt. Kaylee Carey walked, with Ford entering to run.
Pressler singled in a run, then Patrick’s fielder’s choice plated another.
Vetter reached on a fielder’s choice and later scored on a wild pitch, while Sturdy singled in two and Prehoda crushed a triple for another run.
Hunt also singled in the sixth and seventh, the latter after McDaniel’s hit, but they were left on.
Tremont scored twice in the fifth and seventh but never seriously threatened.
“I could not be happier with my first year of coaching softball at Tri-City,” said Cloe. “The ladies worked hard and the improvements made by each was mind-boggling.
“I would be lying if I said that at the beginning of the year I expected us to make it to the State Tournament and place fourth,” he continued. “I saw so much grit, toughness
and resiliency from this group, especially starting in regionals.”
The Lady Tigers squeaked out a 1-0 win over Little Flower in the semifinals and then defeated top seed St. Agnes in the regional final before rolling past Mt. Olive in the
sectional.
“We have a great core group coming back for next year and if we work hard and put in the effort, we could have another run that results in a trip to State again,” said Cloe.
McDaniel is the only eighth grader on the squad.
“What else needs to be said about this great group of ladies,” he concluded. “I thank them for always giving 100 percent on the field and I can only hope future teams use
this group as role models of how to play softball and play it correctly.”
Issue Date: Sept. 29, 2011
