Kennedy Gengler could have easily felt the pressure of being one of Oswego’s three returning starters this season for a defending state champion.

Pressure?

That’s a spotlight that Gengler, Oswego’s senior shortstop and a Waubonsee commit who wore glitter in her hair and on her face Friday, seems to bask in.

“There’s not a lot of pressure being on the field,” Gengler said. “You’re just playing a game. It’s muscle memory.”

Gengler on Friday again showed her knack for clutch play. She had two hits, drove in Oswego’s first run and scored the third.

But it wasn’t Oswego’s day. Mundelein sent 11 batters to the plate in a five-run first inning and went on to a 13-3, six-inning win in the Class 4A semifinal at Peoria’s Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.

It was a role reversal from Monday’s supersectional, when Oswego (22-12) jumped out early on Barrington with four runs in the first.

“I think we were just still on a high,” Gengler said. “I think we were just overconfident, thought we could rely on our skill to lead us all the way. We thought we were going to put it to them, but our energy was just dead.”

Oswego made two throwing errors on bunts that brought in runs, and a third run came in on a wild pitch. A two-run single by Barrington No. 8 hitter Devin Hill made it 5-0.

Mundelein (23-5) added three runs in the third to lead 8-0, two scoring on a Hill single and one on another Oswego throwing error.

“It definitely wasn’t us,” Oswego coach Annie Scaramuzzi said. “I feel like we beat ourselves. All the credit goes to Mundelein. They showed up swinging, put a lot of hard balls in play. A lot of times we make those plays.”

The game was a rematch of the 2024 Class 4A third-place game, which Oswego won 12-7 in each program’s first state tournament appearance.

Mundelein ace Shae Johnson, like Anthony, threw in that game. Back after missing last season with a torn labrum, she struck out nine Friday and shut out Oswego into the fourth.

Gengler broke up the shutout. Sophie Morland walked to lead off, Anthony was hit with one out, and with two outs Gengler smashed a grounder off the third-base bag into left.

“It helped with coach Annie, she figured out when they were going to throw inside, so when I heard that I knew to turn my hips,” Gengler said. “She’s not a slow pitcher by any means. When she’s going inside you have to turn faster. I don’t know how coaches pick that up.”

Gengler, likewise, has the uncanny ability to deliver in big postseason moments.

She drove in the tying and go-ahead runs in Oswego’s sectional semifinal game last year and knocked in the go-ahead run in the sectional final.

Gengler drove in the first run in Oswego’s state semifinal game, and this season had the go-ahead hit in the regional semifinal.

Gengler, who hits sixth, was hitting .323 on the season coming in with a modest 14 RBIs, but they seemed to come in bunches in the biggest moments.

“She just comes alive when the pressure is on,” Scaramuzzi said. “She has been such a stable part of this team and a core of what this team has done. She is just a competitor, her worst critic. If anybody is hard on themselves on our team, it’s Kennedy.”

Playing JV as a sophomore, Gengler stepped in as Oswego’s shortstop last spring. She had one of Oswego’s throwing errors Friday, hardly a reflection of Gengler’s usual defense.

“She was kind of the glue of our defense the last two years,” Scaramuzzi said. “She makes some plays over there that are kind of ESPN highlight type plays. She’ll dive all over the place and has an absolute cannon of an arm.”

Ahlivia East, who also had two hits, and Gengler singled in the sixth, and scored on Brynn Broughton’s two-run double.

But Mundelein walked it off with four in the bottom half.

Anthony, who had gone 28 innings without allowing an earned run this postseason, gave up 11 hits and seven walks, also hitting a batter.

“One of those days. Kinda’ sucks that it’s now,” Anthony said. “I’m human.”

Oswego, a third straight state trophy assured, will play for third place against Marist at 12:15 p.m. Saturday. No. 1 Marist was upset by Lincoln-Way West 2-1 in Friday’s first semifinal.

“We definitely wanted to be repeat state champs, would have been the first time in school history,” Gengler said, “but it’s super impressive that we made it to state. I feel so many odds were against us. We had a rough [0-4] start to the season, pulled it together. Happy to be here.”