Serena softball bests Marquette 6-2 in 1A sectional final

SERENA — Any coach will tell there are just times where they have a hunch.

Serena softball coach Kelly Baker had one of those moments in the second inning of Friday’s Class 1A Serena Sectional championship game against Marquette.

With runners on first and second with one out, Baker had Cassie Walsh put down a sacrifice bunt and No. 9-hitter and sophomore Maddie Young followed with a two-run single to center to give the Huskers the lead for good in an eventual 6-2 triumph over the Crusaders.

“We’ve been really good bunting the ball to move runners over the last few weeks,” Baker said. “Sometimes as a coach you just have a gut feeling about things. In that moment I felt like if we could get the runners up a base that Maddie Young was going to come through but also credit Cassie Walsh for making that all happen with a great sacrifice bunt.”

“If I’m in a tough situation when I’m up to bat I sing to myself,” Young said. “It just helps me stay calm. I’m just happy I could come through for everyone.”

The 15th consecutive win on the season and second straight sectional title now puts Serena (27-6) in Monday’s 4:30 p.m. Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional against LeRoy (33-5), which rolled past host Arcola 13-2 in five innings in their sectional title contest.

Marquette ends the campaign 28-7, tying the record for most season wins in program history.

Serena senior Maddie Glade continued to stay hot in the circle, scattering eight hits, walking one and striking out three. The two runs she allowed were on the final play of the game when Marquette’s Kelsey Cuchra lined a two-single to center but was thrown out trying to advance to second on the throw to the infield.

“My biggest goal above everything was to throw first pitch strikes,” said Glade, who did just that to 22 of the 29 batters she faced, while also tossing 60 of her 78 pitches for strikes. “Marquette has some really good hitters, and you don’t want to be pitching from behind. I feel like I did a good job of getting ahead and then making them hit my pitch from there.”

Serena made it 3-0 in the fifth as RayElle Brennan singled and scored on a two-out triple to the centerfield fence off the bat of Jenna Setchell.

The hosts then plated three more runs in the top of the seventh on another triple by Setchell on a 0-2 pitch, this one scoring both Brennan and Brynley Glade who’d walked. Lanne Cole then followed lifting a sacrifice fly to right to bring home Setchell.

Marquette senior pitcher Taylor Cuchra (6⅔ IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 K) suffered the loss with Savanah Erickson coming on to record the last out of the seventh.

Setchell and Glade both had two hits to lead the Huskers. Kelsey Cuchra had two hits and Kinley Rick doubled for the Cru.

On defense, Serena third baseman Finley Brodbeck and Young in right field both made a pair of dazzling plays, while Marquette first baseman Kinley Rick made a great pop fly catch in foul territory.

“We took one on the chin today, but Maddie is a great pitcher, and she pitched a really good game against us today,” Marquette coach Curtiss Johnson said. “We had a couple of opportunities, but she was able to shut those down.

“We had a number of younger girls in our lineup today and this was a good learning opportunity for them. We are so proud of this senior group, we’re going to miss every single one of them, but they left their mark and led us to a great season.”