IHSA State Softball Capsule Previews

Where: Louisville Slugger Complex, Peoria, 8400 N. Orange Prairie Road, Peoria

Class 1A semifinals (Friday)

Game 1: St. Bede (24-7) vs. Goreville (25-13), 10 a.m.

Game 2: Illini Bluffs (24-5) vs. LeRoy (32-6), 12:30 p.m.

Saturday: Third place - losers 1-2, 9 a.m. Championship - winners 1-2, 11:30 a.m.

Worthy of note: St. Bede has rode the pitching of Ella Hermes and Reagan Stoudt and their bats to get to State. Hermes cracked a game-winning, two-run homer in a 3-1 sectional final win over West Central, which avenged a loss in the same game last year. Stoudt followed in the supersectional with a solo shot in the Bruins’ 6-1 win Monday over Orangeville, her seventh round-tripper of the season. The Bruins are also thriving with small ball with the speed of senior Addie Bontz (.333, 12 SBs) and freshmen Lily Bosnich (10 SBs, 19 runs) and Emily Slingsby (12 SBs, 27 runs). Bosnich turned a sacrifice bunt into a two-run play, circling the bases on a throwing error, to set the tone early Monday. St. Bede lost the big bat of clean-up hitter Maddy Dalton (.349, 2 HRs, 26 RBIs) to a shoulder injury at sectional. She played the field at first base Monday. Senior reserve Abby Michaels filled in nicely with two hits. ... Shanna Green has coached Goreville to five top 3 State finishes, including firsts in 2012, 2017 and 2019. Goreville upset perennial power and No. 1-ranked Casey-Westfield 5-1 in Monday’s supersectional at Johnston City. ... Illini Bluffs seeks its third straight state championship. It beat St. Bede in 2019 in the state semifinals before losing to Goreville 4-2 in the title game. Lindsey Lox has posted a 59-8 record since taking over as Illini Bluffs head coach, including state titles in her first two seasons. Freshman Sara Flinn swings a big bat for Illini Bluffs with 12 HRs, 46 RBIs while batting .505. ... LeRoy, which beat Ottawa Marquette, 2-1, in eight innings to win the Bloomington Supersectional, makes its first State appearance. The next win will be the 200th for LeRoy coach Doug Hageman in his ninth season. ... St. Bede is 1-3 in state tournament games, winning it’s last game over Hardin Calhoun to take third in 2019. The Bruins placed fourth in Class 2A in 2013 under the late coach Bill Prokup.

Class 2A semifinals (Friday)

Game 1: Beecher (35-4-1) vs. Johnston City (31-5), 3 p.m.

Game 2: Rockridge (36-1) vs. St. Anthony (24-3), 5:30 p.m.

Saturday: Third place - losers 1-2, 1 p.m. Championship - winners 1-2, 3:30 p.m.

Worthy of note: Three Rivers West champ and No. 1-ranked Rockridge is the two-time defending state champion, winning three state titles in the past four seasons. The only year the Rockets didn’t win State, they took third in 2019. They have won four state titles in school history, including 2005. The Rockets have lost only once in their last 100 games, a 1-0 shutout by Ottawa this season. Their toughest challenge in the postseason has been a 1-0 win over Kewane to win the Princeton Regional. They blasted Rock Falls 14-2 to capture Monday’s East Peoria Supersectional. Senior short stop Payton Brown, an ISU recruit, has smashed 27 home runs with 56 RBIs and a .574 average. Ace pitcher Kendra Lewis, a Wisconsin commit, has belted 14 RBIs with a 57 RBIs and a .585 average while spinning a 23-0 record, 1.47 ERA and 183 strikeouts in the circle. ... Unranked St. Anthony had a tougher go at the Decatur Supersectional, defeating Quincy Notre Dame, 6-5. St. Anthony finished second in its only state appearance in 2021 in Class 1A. ... No. 2-ranked Beecher returns to state for the first time since winning the 2A title in 2019. It has won four state championship, including titles in 2004, 2007 and 2017, under coach Kevin Hayhurst. The Bobcats finished second in 2018. ... No. 14 Johnston City makes its return to State for the first time since taking second in 2010. Both Beecher (4-0) and Johnston City (2-0) won supersectionals by shutout, Johnston City’s coming at home.

St. Bede ready for State