Kieryn Abernathy is the ready at third base. The freshman standout has been one Kewanee’s strongest offensive weapons this season. In the win against Sherrard, she was 2-4 with one double and an RBI. [Photo courtesy of Lisa Sieghartner]

In a pressure-packed bottom of the seventh inning (with Kewanee leading 9-8, two outs against Sherrard and bases loaded) sophomore Kalleigh Gale kept her composure and struck out one last Sherrard batter, giving the Boiler Girls a 9-8 regional semifinal win. 

No. 7 Kewanee (17-10) will now play No. 6 Riverdale (16-14) at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the Riverdale Regional championship game. 

Both semifinal winners were able to dispatch higher seeds. Riverdale beat No. 3 Knoxville 8-4 to advance to the championship game, while Sherrard (21-10) was a No. 2 seed. 

Kewanee 9, Sherrard 8

The Boiler Girls came out of the gate playing inspired offense. They put three first-inning runs on the board. Kalleigh Gale took first base on a walk. Cheyanne Rodgers then hit a double and Gale advanced to third. 

Macee Pickering followed up with a single, plating Rodgers and Gale for a lead of 2-0. Kieryn Abernathy then hit a single and Pickering scored on the play to extend the lead to 3-0.

It didn’t take Sherrard long to find an answer. Abby Dean took a walk to first, which was promptly followed by a Nadie Anderson home run to close the gap at 3-2. Gale shook it off and proceeded to strike out the last two batters she faced. 

The hot bats continued for Kewanee in the second inning. Lexi Dillender and Remy Hicks each reached on singles and Hannah Tiska hit a double, sending home Dillender for a lead of 4-2.

In the bottom of the third inning, Sherrard came knocking with more runs. Makenzy Moran doubled and then scored after Anderson belted out her second home run of the game, tying the score at 4-all. 

The Boiler Girls accepted the challenge and scored three more runs in the top of the fourth inning to take back the lead at 7-4.

Dillender hit a double and Hicks hit another single. After two straight strikeouts by Dani Neppl, Rodgers then hit a single, scoring Hicks and Dillender (6-4). Pickering then stepped up and hit her second single of the game and Rodgers scored, extending the Kewanee lead to 7-4.

Kieryn Abernathy hit double #4 for Kewanee at the top of the fifth inning, but was left stranded.

Freshman Macee Pickering looks over a pitch in the quarterfinal game against Orion. Pickering has been a consistent scoring threat for the Boiler Girls. She was 2-4 in the win against Sherrard, including a double and three RB1. [Photo courtesy of the Kewanee Athletic Department]

The slugfest continued when Sherrard answered with three more runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ava Hartman hit a double and Savanah Hauger scored on the throw. Anderson also scored on the play to bring Sherrard within a run at 7-6. 

Kaylee Faccio then flew out to center, but Hartman scored after tagging up, which tied the game at 7-7. 

In the top of the sixth inning, senior veterans Hannah Tiska and Cheyanne Rodgers came through again. Each hit singles and Gale advanced to third. 

Hope Peed then bunted and reached on an error. Rodgers and Gale scored on the error, giving Kewanee back the lead at 9-7. 

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Neppl doubled for Sherrard and advanced to third on an error. The next two batters popped out, but up next was home run slugger Nadie Anderson. 

Anderson was intentionally walked. Hauger then hit a single and Anderson made it to third base and Neppl scored to bring the Tigers within one at 9-8. 

The next batter, Hartman, walked so bases were now loaded (with two outs). The final batter, Faccio, had two strikes against her when she swung at the next Gale pitch and missed. The strikeout would be Gales’ eighth of the game. 

Gale went the distance in the circle for the Boiler Girls. She fanned eight and walked two, while surrendering 12 hits and eight runs (7 earned). 

Hauger started on the mound for Sherrard. She pitched three innings, giving up one walk, eight hits and six runs (6 earned). 

At the plate 

Rodgers (3-4, 1 double, 3 runs, 2 RBI). Dillender (2-4, 1 double, 2 runs). Abernathy (2-4, 1 double, 1 RBI). Tiska (2-5, 1 double, 1 RBI). Pickering (2-4, 3 RBI, 1 run). Hicks (2-3, 1 run). Gale (2 runs, 1 BB).