By Mark Gregory
Sports Editor
@Hear_The_Beard
mark@buglenewspapers.com
A tear-filled Ryan Shaughnessy is greated by her teammates as she crosses home plate with the game-winning run in Monday’s Hinsdale South Supersectional win over Sandburg. Shaughnessy hit a 2-2 pitch over the centerfield wall for a 3-run walk off home run. (Mark Gregory photo)
Two outs. Two strikes.
Bottom of the final inning.
Down two. Two runners on and you step to the plate in an at bat that means everything.
That is a scenario that every young baseball or softball player plays out hundreds of times in the backyard.
On Monday, Ryan Shaughnessy lived it.
The senior right fielder was up with Plainfield North down 4-2 to Sandburg in the IHSA Class 4A Hinsdale South Supersectional in Darien.
With a pair of runners on base, Shaughnessy worked the count to 2-2, fouling off several close pitches before she deposited a home run to center to send the Tigers to their first-ever state finals.
“I just had to take a second and breath and I had to do it for my team,” Shaughnessy said fighting through joyful tears. “When I hit it, there was no doubt. I can’t believe this is happening.”
The home run was set up by a pinch-hit single from senior Alexis Chan, who coach Kelly Ash felt was the right fit for the moment.
“That was a huge pinch hit in that situation.” Ash said. “She hasn’t played much all year and to come through in that moment was unreal. That was a great momentum swing. With a runner on first, Maddie Keay was coming up and she is more of a slapper and I wanted a little more of a power hitter to maybe get it down the line and Alexis hasn’t had a lot of chances, but when she has, she comes through with a big hit.
“Our team never quits. I told them before the bottom of the seventh that we are winning this game and they came through.”
North (29-3) got on the board first on another home run from Kaelin Callow, breaking a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth. It was Callow’s fourth homer of the season, but second in as many games, as she got the scoring going in North’s 4-1 sectional title win over Oswego East.
“I have been seeing the ball really well,” Callow said. “I have been waiting on the ball and trying to hit it into right center. I naturally pull everything and this is something I have really been working on. Last year, we set a goal to get to state and we didn’t quite reach it – so we have been working at this for two years now and this is amazing.”
The lead only lasted an inning for North as Sandburg took the lead on a pair of unearned runs in the top of the sixth.
North would tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth on a Bailey Weck sacrifice fly.
The Eagles would take the lead again in the top of the seventh, setting up Shaughnessy’s dramatic finish.
Through it all, North pitcher Greta Thompson was solid, earning the win and moving her season mark to 22-2.
“You have to have faith in your defense and offense that we are all going to pick each other up,” Thompson said. “You can’t quit when things go wrong. You have to pitch with short memory and not think about what happens.”
The trip to state is the first ever by any Plainfield District 202 softball team, as North had already made history by winning the first-ever softball sectional title by any of the four schools.
“I just can’t wait to go on with these girls, this is going to be so amazing,” Thompson said.
The Tigers will face Palatine Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the second of the Class 4A state semifinals at the EastSide Center in East Peoria.
Much like Plainfield North, Palatine (29-5) won its first-ever sectional title and earned its first state finals trip by knocking off rival Barrington 6-3 in the Barrington Supersectional. Dating back to 2011, Barrington had defeated the Pirates 16 straight times, including twice this year. Palatine is paced by pitcher Sarah Grossman, who has a 22-2 record this year.
Rock Island and York will square off on the other side of the bracket.
Plainfield North softball and baseball teams celebrate Supersectional wins after the baseball team wins at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood. (Mark Gregory photo)