Breaking: Sycamore wins softball state championship

EAST PEORIA – Allison Polly's one-out single in the top of the fifth was all the Sycamore softball team needed to win a state title.

In the seventh the Spartans added a couple more in a 3-0 win to claim the Class 3A State Championship on Saturday over St. Francis.

Faith Reynolds pitched a one-hitter a day after leaving the semifinal in the third inning. Sycamore came back from seven down to win that one against Mt. Zion and earn the date against St. Francis.

Mt. Zion ended up taking third, beating Bishop McNamara.

Reynolds finished Saturday striking out seven in the complete game win, walking two.

Both Sycamore (33-6-1) and St. Francis (26-4) were stymied by the other's pitcher. While Reynolds took a perfect game into the fourth, and a no-hitter into the seventh Carlee Clark had her perfect game broken up in the fifth by Gabriel's single. She would come around to score on Polly's single.

The tying run came to the plate for St. Francis in the seventh, but Reynolds got Griffin to pop up to short.