From 2-11 to regional champs: Becca Allen, Sycamore softball keep hot streak alive

BELVIDERE – At the start of the season, no player on the Sycamore softball team had any varsity experience. After 13 games, the Spartans were 2-11.

But after an 11-7 win at No. 3-seeded Belvidere on Thursday, the Spartans are Class 3A regional champs.

“Sometimes your schedule helps you, and sometimes your schedule hurts you,” coach Jill Carpenter said. “We lost a lot of games in the beginning of the year – we never had our full team due to quarantines and contact tracing and volleyball. So we really had a [bad] record in the beginning. Then we get our whole group together, they start figuring things out, and we’re able to put a little run together.”

The teams traded runs throughout the early innings, with No. 6 Sycamore (14-14) leading, 7-6, after four. But Becca Allen, who came in to pitch in the second, allowed only one hit over her final three innings against the Bucs (15-5).

That one hit came in seventh, a two-out single by Amber Wisely that scored Sophia Hulsey, who had reached on the Spartans’ fifth and final error of the game. After McKyler Morris walked, McKenna Morris – the Bucs’ top hitter and pitcher – hit a blooper to shallow center. But Chelsea Smith came in to make a diving catch and preserve the win.

“I kind of knew she was a really good hitter, so I was kind of prepared for something to come to me,” Smith said. “I just knew I was going to do everything I could to get it.”

The inning before, right fielder Chelsea Born made a diving play in right field to take a hit away from McKenna Morris, who Carpenter called the soul of the Belvidere offense.

“We needed a little bit of everything,” Carpenter said. “Yes, we had a couple oopsies on defense, but we had a couple tremendous outfield plays. How can you not talk about those two web gems? Chelsea Born in right-center, not your prototypical outfielder, and Chelsea Smith has made a few catches like that for us. She came up with one at the right time for sure.”

Sycamore had scored three insurance runs in the top of the seventh to push their lead to 11-7. Allen started the inning with her fourth hit of the game, then Born walked with one out. With two outs, Tia Durst hit a single to left field that scored both Born and Allen. The left fielder booted the ball, Durst never stopped running and ended up scoring on the play.

“I was still waving, and she was still running,” Carpenter said. “That’s a good trust factor right there.”

Allen said that was an energy boost heading into the bottom of the seventh.

“It definitely picks up the team atmosphere,” Allen said. “Everybody is excited to do what they are there to do.”

Belvidere led 2-1 after one inning and 3-2 after the second. Sycamore scored three in the top of the third, including RBI singles by Haley Von Schnase and Allen. In the bottom of the frame Allen pitched around a single and a double for the first scoreless inning in the game.

Allen finished allowing three runs, none earned, in 5 2/3 innings. She allowed six hits, walked two and struck out four.

Allen said even during the team’s 2-11 start, the Spartans were bonding and learning to play together, as they now have won 12 of their past 15 games.

“We go into every game with a fresh start,” Allen said. “Just starting every game new, we’re a new team. Plus we got everybody we need, everybody is doing their job, and that’s what we needed from everybody today.”

Six of the nine batters in the Sycamore lineup had a hit, including a 2-for-4 game for Liv King, who hit a pair of doubles, drove in a run and scored. Durst was 3 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Brooklynn Snodgrass had a hit, a run scored and an RBI.

“They put a lot of pressure on us,” Carpenter said. “It seemed like every inning both teams had runners on base. ... It was important for us to keep putting the pressure on them, too. Our offense has won us games. We have to put up runs because we don’t have a lights-out, strikeout pitcher. We pitch to contact, and our defense has to show up. And we were able to minimize the damage when we did have a couple mistakes.”

The Spartans will face the winner of Friday’s Sterling vs. La Salle-Peru game in a sectional semifinal.

Carpenter said she’s been preaching to the team that any team can win on any given day in the postseason, a philosophy she said she’s held during one-and-done playoff appearances and the team’s 2019 run to the Class 3A state championship.

“It feels really good, especially because we’ve all had a real good end of the season,” Smith said. “We’ve all blended together and sense is improving a lot. We’re meshing well, and it’s a lot of fun out there.”

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