Softball:  Warriors Drop Heartbreaker in Sectional Title Game

Boxscore

The SHS Softball team came oh so close to winning its first ever sectional championship Monday.  The Golden Warriors battled defending 3A state champ Marengo tooth and nail the entire game, but in the end, found themselves on the short end of a 2-1 final score.

Marengo (34-5) advances to the DeKalb Supersectional against Graylake-North.  Sterling sees its record-breaking season end with a final mark of 31-7.

The game was scoreless through four innings, but Marengo, aided by a wind-blown fly ball that fell in for a double, broke through with a single tally in the fifth.  Sterling rightfielder Gabi Trujillo prevented another run from scoring by throwing out Marengo’s Stephanie Cartwright at first base on what looked like a run scoring single.  Instead, it was the third out of the inning.

Marengo scored what proved to be a big insurance run in the sixth.  Leading off the inning, it appeared that Megan Semro had been thrown out at first by another strong throw from Gabi Trujillo in right.  Sterling did not get the benefit of the call, and Semro later came around to score what proved to be the game-winning run.

Sterling’s offense was held scoreless through six inning’s on just two hits – a double from Paige Lobdell in the first, and a single from Stephanie Kester to lead off the fourth.

The Golden Warriors finally broke through in the top of the seventh.  Leading off the inning, Mackenzie Staples blasted a towering home run to center to cut the Marengo lead in half.  Ashli King was then hit by a pitched ball to put the tying run on base.  Following a strikeout and sacrifice bunt, Priscilla Aponte drew a walk.  Trujillo then smoked a line drive, but right at the first baseman, which was caught to end the game.