La Salle-Peru softball coach Randy Huebbe, assistants Kaitlyn Gibson and Kara Turczyn and the team’s nine seniors had a long talk in right field Friday.

There were lots of tears and even a few laughs.

The Cavaliers had just finished their most successful season in more than a decade on their home field with a 10-0 loss to Dunlap in the Class 3A La Salle-Peru Sectional championship.

“I just told them how much I loved them,” Huebbe said. “I said, ‘I was tough on you, but they’re family to me now,’ so they were crying and so were my coaches. There were 12 of us out there bawling our eyes out.

“I told them I appreciate them not quitting on us as coaches, how I was worried about after graduation having the seniors check out, and they didn’t. When graduation happened is when they turned it on and that was impressive to me. If we’d have played today like we did the last four games, this would have been a closer game, but it wasn’t our day.”

L-P’s Class of 2026, which included Anna Riva, Kelsey Frederick, Sophia Pyszka, Dagny Greer, Lydia Steinbach, Brie Ruppert, Taylor Vescogni, Claire Boudreau and Karmen Piano, helped the Cavaliers win their first regional and reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013 after six consecutive seasons losing in a regional final.

“Going into the season we had high expectations for ourselves because we did so well with our record last year even though the postseason didn’t end as well as we’d like,” Claire Boudreau said. “So we really had that under our butts to try to play as hard as we could.

“Our team morale was really, really high and everybody was so supportive of each other, and that is what pushed us. Most of us were the same group of girls, but we just had a different light inside of us, a different fire that kept pushing us farther. I feel that’s something that you can’t really teach a team. We were so blessed and lucky to have such a great group of girls that all wanted the same thing, so that’s what ultimately got us here. Plus lots of hard work.”

On Friday, Huebbe felt a turning point came early.

Makenzie Chamberlain drew a walk to start the bottom second inning, but her courtesy runner was thrown out on a back pick by Dunlap catcher Gabby Drake.

The next L-P batter struck out before Vescogni hit a two-out single to left. The inning ended when the next batter grounded out.

The Cavs only had two hits the rest of the way - a slow roller single by Steinbach in the third inning and a single to left by Greer in the seventh - and only had two runners in scoring position after the first inning with one being throw out at third as part of a 5-3 double play in the sixth.

“The pickoff at first base really ignited their dugout,” Huebbe said. “There was no sound over there, but they picked her off and it just exploded over there and it never stopped. They were excited at the plate. They were hitting.”

The Eagles then struck first in the top of the third on three hits along with two bases-loaded walks.

Dunlap scored two more in the fourth on one hit, two walks and an error and added two more unearned runs in the sixth after a two-out error and then scored four in the seventh.

Vescogni allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits with seven walks and three strikeouts in six innings. Ruppert and Claire Boudreau pitched the seventh.

“It might have been a tight zone a little bit, and it kind of affected our pitchers, but we can’t let that stuff affect us,” Huebbe said.

The Cavs couldn’t get much going against University of Illinois recruit Sutton Centoni, who threw a four-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking five.

“It just wasn’t our day from the get-go,” Huebbe said. “We just didn’t have that fire we’ve had the last three games. Once they got up on us, it looked like some heads kind of dropped. She’s a good pitcher, but she’s hittable. We just weren’t as aggressive as we normally are. They were the better team today.”

Claire Boudreau said while they hoped to advance to the supersectional, a home loss was better than a road loss to end the season.

“Obviously, it’s not the outcome we wanted, but there’s something special about playing on your home field and seeing all the fans here,” Claire Boudreau said. “I’m just really grateful for my coaches and all the opportunities they gave us. We got to go to Myrtle Beach (for spring break) and those were experiences I’ll never forget. They truly have been great coaches and I’ll forever cherish this time with all these girls. I’m just so proud to say that I played softball here and I made all these memories and I got to be part of this team.”

The Cavs finish 23-15.

“I’m so proud of them,” Huebbe said. “They got us a plaque. It set the tone for next year’s team.

“I can’t ask for a better ending really. We ended at home. I got to hug my girls on the last day at home.”

The Eagles (29-8) advance to play Providence in the East Peoria Supersectional on Monday.

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Members of the L-P softball team give hugs and support each other after being defeated by Dunlap 10-0 during the Class 3A Sectional final on Friday, May 29, 2026 at the L-P Athletic Complex in La Salle. (Scott Anderson)