Softball: No. 1-ranked Antioch too much for Kaneland in supersectional loss in Knights’ coach’s last game

MAPLE PARK – No yellow school buses or mini vans for Antioch. The Sequoits made the hour-and-a-half trip to the Class 3A Kaneland Supersectional on Tuesday in style, on an air-conditioned charter coach.

No. 1-ranked Antioch will have another luxurious ride Friday to the state tournament in Peoria after blanking Kaneland, 9-0.

Sophomore right-hander Jacey Schuler threw another gem, giving up only three singles, striking out 13 and walking one. She also knocked in four of the team’s runs.

Antioch (30-3) will return to the state tournament for the first time since 2010 and will face Lemont (32-6) in the first 3A semifinal at 10 a.m. at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. Lemont finished second in last year’s 3A tournament.

The fancy rides are an effort to relax the team before games, according to Antioch coach Anthony Rocco.

“We make sure we take care of the kids,” Rocco said. “They are good and loose before the game, so it’s worth it.”

In addition to the five seniors on the Kaneland roster, it was also the final high school game for Knights coach Mike Kuefler. After six seasons at the helm, including a second-place finish in 2018, Kuefler is retiring.

Schuler had the added incentive to atone for last year’s supersectional, also at Kaneland, which Antioch lost to Sterling.

“Today was one of my better games,” said Schuler, a sophomore. “This was a really special game for me because last year we lost [the supersectional], so I really wanted to come out and win.”

Antioch jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Leadoff batter Eden Echevarria smashed a double down the right field line and scored on senior Gabby Debevec’s triple to the gap in left field. Schuler earned her first RBI when her groundout scored Debevec.

Schuler pushed across two more runs in the second. Syerra Gilmore and Sophia Shaffer crossed the plate on Schuler’s bases-loaded single.

In the bottom of the second, senior Jenna Harper was the first batter to reach base for Kaneland (19-12) with a single to center but was unable to advance.

Knights catcher Corinne Pugh coaxed a walk to open the third. Angelina Campise followed and popped up a bunt to Schuler, who then fired to first to double up Pugh.

The Sequoits added three runs in the fourth. Shaffer opened the inning with a single, advanced to third on Debevec’s double to center and scored on Schuler’s groundout. Debevec crossed the plate on Emily Brecht’s homer over the left-field fence.

“I was seeing the ball really well and I knew that I had to score some runs for my team and move the runners around so that was my goal at the plate,” said Debevec, an Illinois commit.

Antioch scored its last two runs in the sixth. Brecht’s bloop single to short center brought in Eschevarria, a Wisconsin commit, and Shaffer.

“The only time we lost when we put two up in the first was against Marist, who is No. 1 in 4A, so when we got the two runs, I thought we would be fine,” Rocco said. “We felt more confident, and the kids played looser. When we got to seven, we knew we were it in control.”

Pugh tallied Kaneland’s second hit, a single to lead off the sixth but was stranded when Schuler struck out the side. Isabella Strombres opened the seventh with a single up the middle, advanced to third on a stolen base and passed ball but got no farther as Schuler retired the side.

Kaneland senior Grace Algrim was tagged with the loss. Algrim will play softball for Northern Colorado next year.

“I think we ran into a team that can hit,” Kuefler said. “Grace did what she could. That team came out hitting. They are probably the best hitting team we faced this year. They are an exceptional team. Schuler is just a tremendous pitcher. She did a great job of keeping us off-balance. She got into a rhythm that was tough for us to break.”

“I think Grace pitched a really great came, but they got on top of it. They just timed her very well and put the ball in spots where we didn’t have people,” said Harper, who will continue her softball career next season at Washington College in Maryland. “We tried our best. We put everything out there that we could.”

Kuefler is stepping down to open his own business.

“I’m opening up a training facility, and we will train fast-pitch players so I will still be around the game,” he said. “But I’m still going to miss the heck out of coaching.”