STATE CHAMPS! Highland softball team secures first crown in program history
Highland sophomore third baseman Maddie Trauernicht has had her share of clutch swings during the 2021 season but none was bigger the one she had Thursday afternoon in Peoria.
Trauernicht came through for the Lady Bulldogs in the bottom of the seventh inning with a one-out sacrifice fly to drive home the winning run as Highland clinched its first state championship in program history with a 1-0 walk off win over Lemont High School in the IHSA Class 3A title game at Louisville Slugger Softball Complex.
“Maddie Trauernicht had a heck of an at-bat fouling off pitches and then she hit a ball deep enough to score the run,” Highalnd coach Glen Nicholls said. “Pitkin was coming in from the third base and their catcher was blocking the plate and the umpire called obstruction on the catcher. The ball got there momentarily after that ... she already had the obstruction call so they had awarded her home and as soon as we all saw the obstruction call we knew the game was over.”
Needless to say, Nicholls was on Cloud 9 following the state title game win.
“We had kids that didn’t play unbelievably at a high level throughout the season and it’s like they flipped the switch in the postseason. The postseason came and we just played to our capabilities and the girls just started playing at another level,” he said.
The game featured a classic pitchers battle between Highland star Sam Miener and Lemont standout Sage Mardjetko as both hurlers were sharp from the start.
Miener struck out five and walked none while giving up only three hits on the afternoon as she got the complete-game victory and finished her senior season at 24-0 in the circle. Mardjetko was strong as well with her pitching, striking out 11 and walking none.
Neither team was able to push a run across until the seventh inning.
Miener doubled to lead of the bottom of the seventh and Alicia Pitkin came in as a courtesy runner for her. Then with one out and Pitkin at third. Traurnicht delivered with a sacrifice fly and Pitkin came home to score and send the Lady Bulldogs and their fans into delirium.
“Pitkin delayed stole third base on her own. She’s been running for Sam all season long and she was on second base with one out,” Nicholls said. “She read it and nobody from the other team even saw it and next thing you know she’s standing on third base as a runner without a throw over. It was a big play to get over to third with less than two outs.”
Lemont, which ended the season at 27-5, committed two errors.
Miener, had the only two hits for Highland, going 2-for-3 with a double.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 4:47 PM.