ROCK ISLAND – The day before the La Salle-Peru softball team opened the postseason, the No. 2-seeded Cavaliers talked about not taking any opponents lightly.
L-P coach Randy Huebbe felt his team did that Tuesday against No. 7 Galesburg.
The Cavaliers managed just two hits through the first three innings while having a runner caught stealing, a runner picked off third base and a runner hit by a ground ball while not scoring a run.
Finally, in the fourth inning, the Cavs exploded for nine runs on six hits and three errors and went on to win 9-0 in a Class 3A Rock Island Regional semifinal.
“We talked [Monday] night about not being complacent and taking a team for granted,” Huebbe said. “That’s exactly what I felt we did. From the get-go, we had no life.
“I can’t believe I’m talking like this after a win, but we have to play better than this.”
L-P (29-5) advances to the regional final at 4 p.m. Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between No. 3 Geneseo (27-8) and No. 5 Rock Island (13-13).
“We’re pumped up to play a good team and hope to come out with a win,” L-P pitcher Chloe Mitchell said. “I know they’re both very good teams, and we really have to bring our best game.”
“We talked [Monday] night about not being complacent and taking a team for granted. That’s exactly what I felt we did. From the get go, we had no life. I can’t believe I’m talking like this after a win, but we have to play better than this.”
Randy Huebbe, La Salle-Peru coach
Huebbe said he will scout Wednesday’s semifinal to get a look at both teams.
“I’m going to look at both teams,” Huebbe said. “Rock Island is not bad. They’ve been playing well lately. Whichever one we play, we have to be ready for. I got to see the Geneseo pitcher on film a couple times on GameChanger, so I have an idea there, but I’d like to get a live look at her. I want to see what her drop ball does, and changeup.”
For the Cavs, it will be their fourth consecutive season appearing in a regional title game as they look to claim their first regional championship since 2013.
“We definitely need our hitting,” Mitchell said. “The past few years, that was what was missing from each [regional title] game. If our hitting is on, I think we’ll have no problem.”
L-P’s hitting wasn’t on early on Tuesday, but Ava Lambert provided a spark as she drove the ball into the right-center field gap for a double to start the nine-run fourth inning.
“I think when Lambo made the adjustment and got the big hit, we used that to get momentum and everyone started getting hits,” left fielder Kelsey Frederick said. “She waited on the ball so she could hit and she took it to right field.”
Callie Mertes followed Lambert with a single before Frederick delivered an RBI single up the middle for the game’s first run.
Izzy Pohar and Evin Becker hit sacrifice flies in the inning, while Ava Lannen hit an RBI single and Frederick hit a two-run single in her second at-bat of the inning.
“I just used Lambo’s momentum and listened to everyone around me,” Frederick said. “Them trying to bring me up really helped.”
While the offense took a while to get going, Mitchell was on from the start in the circle. She threw a three-hit shutout, striking out seven batters and walking one.
The defense backed Mitchell with several big plays.
In the first inning, Lannen caught a short popup in front of first base and threw to Mertes covering at first to double off Galesburg’s Sahara Cato.
In the second, third baseman Becker rushed in and dove for a popped-up bunt between the plate and the pitching circle, and Addie Duttlinger caught a runner trying to steal for the third out.
“I focused mainly on my riseball and curveball, and I relied on my defense to get those pop flies and those groundouts, and they did really well,” said Mitchell, who improved to 20-3 on the season.
