Mahomet-Seymour softball to play in first Elite 8 in school history
By FRED KRONER
Mahomet-Seymour Softball
Mahomet-Seymour’s history-making softball season added a dose of drama in the Friday (June 3) Class 3A sectional championship game at Mount Zion.
A program which had never won a game at sectionals until Tuesday, captured its second-ever sectional win in four days against Chatham Glenwood to earn the Bulldogs’ first-ever sectional championship plaque in softball.
An all-state player from 2021 who was projected in the pre-season to be the team’s primary pitcher – senior Karley Yergler – scored the walk-off winning run to end the extra-inning contest with one out in the bottom of the eighth.
M-S’ 5-4 victory sends the Bulldogs into a Monday (June 6) Elite Eight super-sectional game at Decatur’s Millikin University against Highland, which needed nine innings on Friday to edge Marion, 4-3, at Centralia, in a sectional title game. Game time on Monday is 4:30 p.m.
While Yergler was up to the challenge, earning her 23rd victory of the spring, a freshman who wasn’t even on the varsity roster when the season began in March – Maddie Logsdon – cracked two home runs, including a two-run blast in the bottom of the seventh to create a 4-4 deadlock.
The home runs were the first two since Logsdon’s promotion to the varsity. In her last four games – including four in the postseason – Logsdon is 13-for-22 with six extra-base hits and 11 RBI.
“As a freshman, my deal is to give them some JV innings (early in the year) and see how they progress,” M-S coach James Heinold said. “She progressed well, and we added her to the varsity roster.”
An opportunity for playing time at third base occurred when junior Brooke Howard suffered a season-ending torn meniscus.
“Brooke was probably one of our top three hitters and a great defensive player,” Heinold said. “Maddie has fit into that spot and filled the void with some good defense.”
The ultimate hero in the sectional finals was Chloe Truax, who executed a one-out suicide squeeze bunt in the eighth inning to end the game in walk-off fashion.
“We know each game someone will step up,” Heinold said. “Tonight, it was our No. 7 hitter (Truax). She has been in that situation before and it’s no problem for her to be in that situation.”
The bunt came with Yergler perched on third base and Kenadi Granadino on second. Heinold knew that regardless of the outcome at the plate, the worst-case scenario was that the Bulldogs would still have a runner at third base.
Logsdon and Abbey Akers each had two hits to spark the M-S offense. Contributing one hit apiece were Jayden Hannah, Granadino, Yergler and Truax. Akers produced the team’s other RBI.
“If it didn’t work, we’d try again, but she got it down on the first try,” Heinold added.
Hannah and Truax also tallied runs.
Yergler (23-2) pitched all eight innings, yielding six hits and one earned run while walking one batter and striking out 12. The walk she issued was in the third inning, which ended a streak of 31 consecutive innings without issuing a free pass.
Akers drove in Hannah with a first-inning run to stake M-S to an early lead. By the time Logsdon hit her first home run to center field, Chatham had built a 3-1 lead.
“Once Chatham got the lead, I could tell the girls felt the pressure and lost a little discipline at the plate,” Heinold said, “but they were able to re-discipline themselves.”
Akers was one player who had been struggling, but put in extra time during the week to break a slump.
“She has been down, but was able to get her swing back,” Heinold said. “She was feeling pretty good tonight and did a good job. She seems to be back in the groove.”
After Friday’s win, M-S is 8-2 this season in games decided by two, or fewer, runs.
“We’ve had a lot of close games and have come up positive for most of them,” Heinold said. “We don’t get rattled.”
Heinold knows nothing about the next opponent, Highland, but he is OK with that.
“We’ve got to play our game,” he said. “Everybody has to do their part and do it well.
“We need solid defense, to minimize the extra-base hits and be disciplined at the plate with quality at-bats, even if it leads to an out. We emphasize situational hitting, putting the ball in play when someone is on second or third.”
The Bulldogs took a brief stop on their way home – at Krekel’s, in Decatur – for an ice cream celebration, but the coach made sure everyone knew there is more business ahead that needs their attention.
“We’re not satisfied yet,” Heinold said. “The thing about this team is that nobody gets down on each other. They have been the best teammates for each other.”
M-S is 26-5 for the season. Each win adds another mark to the school record total as does each strikeout registered by Yergler, who has 331 for the season.
“Karley has been phenomenal,” Heinold said. “She’s a competitor and gives everything she’s got every time.
“Chatham was very disciplined and Karley had to make some good pitches to get outs.”
Monday’s super-sectional winner reaches the state’s Final Four and will play in a 12:30 p.m. state semifinal game on Friday (June 10) at East Peoria.
