The Kewanee Boiler Girls were eliminated from postseason play after suffering a loss to Riverdale on Friday in the championship game of the 2A Riverdale Regional.
Down 0-2 in the top of the sixth inning, Kewanee fought back and tied the game at 2-2, but the Rams responded by scoring five runs in the bottom of the inning, dashing Kewanee’s hopes of a regional title win.
The sixth-seeded Boiler Girls had a final at-bat, but they weren’t able to muster a rally and fell by a final score of 7-2. Kewanee closed out the season as TRAC conference champs with a record of 17-10. Riverdale moves to 19-14 and advances to sectional play.
Riverdale will play (1) Peru (St. Bede) in the semifinals of the Peoria (Notre Dame) Sectional on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. St. Bede was a 3-0 winner over Manito (Midwest Central).
Riverdale 7, Kewanee 2
Riverdale got on the board first. Facing two outs, Alexis Duke hit a single and Katie Cox reached on an error. Duke scored on the same error, giving the Rams a 1-0 advantage. Sophomore pitcher, Kalleigh Gale, struck out the next Riverdale batter for the final out of the first inning.
Freshman Macee Pickering started off the second inning with a single for Kewanee, but three consecutive outs followed.
It was the same result for Riverdale in the bottom of the inning. Danika Saddoris singled, but what followed were two ground outs and another K for Gale. The third inning was a quick three up, three down for each team.
At the top of the fourth inning (and two outs on the board), Pickering hit her second single of the game but she was, again, left stranded.
In the bottom of the fourth, Gale struck out the first batter she faced and walked the second (Saddoris). A Riverdale bunt attempt was squashed by the Kewanee defense for the second out. Saddoris was then caught stealing for the final out of the inning and the score still 1-0.
Freshman Remy Hicks walked in the fifth inning, but two ground outs and a fly out sent the Boiler Girls back out on defense.
The stranglehold finally broke in the bottom of the fifth inning. With two outs, junior Brecklin DeLaRosa hit her 16th home run of the season (a fly ball to left field), giving Riverdale a 2-0 lead.
Feeling a sense of urgency, Kewanee answered with two runs in the top of the sixth inning to tie the score at 2-2.
Senior Cheyanne Rodgers started off with a walk and freshman Kieryn Abernathy followed with a single (Rodgers made it to third on the play). Pickering then hit a ground out RBI, plating Rodgers (1-2) and Abernathy advanced to third.
Senior Hope Peed then hit an RBI single, sending home Abernathy on the play for the tying run at 2-2.
The relief, however, was short-lived as the dam broke open for Riverdale in the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out on the board, Cox homered on a fly ball to center field, giving the lead back to the Rams at 3-2.
Amaya Lopez-Hernandez, Saddoris and Addie Secker followed with three consecutive singles. Lopez-Hernandez scored on the Secker RBI, giving Riverdale a 4-2 advantage.
Olivia Mabeus then hit a sacrifice fly and Saddoris tagged up and advanced to third. A final blow was dealt when Claire Beeler connected on a 3-run home run pitch, plating Saddoris and Secker for a score of 7-2.
All three KHS batters grounded out in the top of the seventh inning, ending any hopes of late game rally.
Junior Brie DeBlaey (8-3) pitched all seven innings to earn the win for the Rams. She struck out two and walked three, while giving up four hits and two earned runs.
In six innings on the mound, Gale (12-6) struck out three and walked one, while surrendering 10 hits and seven runs (six earned).
Pickering led Kewanee at the plate, going 2 for 3 with one RBI. Abernathy was 1 for 3, scoring one run. Peed went 1 for 3 with one RBI.
