PEORIA, Ill. — The emotions seemed to come and go in waves as members of the North Boone softball team milled about near the first base side of OSF Healthcare Field following Saturday afternoon’s IHSA 2A state championship.
Tearful hugs were often followed by fits of laughter and group photos which quickly worked its way back into teardrops welling up in the eyes of players and coaching staff alike.
Such an intensive experience as finishing off the winningest season in program history with a 1-0 loss to Carterville in the state finals will do that to a team.
“This has been so special,” senior catcher Danielle Goodman said. “I've grown up with these girls and grown up with (head coach) Tim (Fleming) and it's just bittersweet because I love them and it sucks to end this way.
“I'm so proud of this team. You didn't think that a small group of girls from Poplar Grove could make it to state, so just being in the championship was a blessing”
And the two squads kept it tight, neither team plated a run until Lions’ sophomore Taryn Ford blasted a two-out hit into the gap in between center and right field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh for the walk-off single.
“I just wanted this so bad,” Carter said. “But they had everything fall in line for them and it just took one little poke and they got it. But just being able to be here, it feels absolutely amazing. We didn’t expect to even get second, so this is amazing.”
The Vikings (29-5) had beaten Auburn 2-0 on Friday to advance to the title game, where the Lions (38-1) and their dynamic pitching duo of Ford and Caidence Phillips awaited their arrival.
The two lived up to their billing as Ford took the start and threw 6 1-3 innings while allowing just four hits and three walks with a whopping 16 strikeouts. The sophomore got 14 of her first 15 outs via a punchout, with Syndey Goodman’s sacrifice bunt the one exception, as she dotted the corners with her pitches.
Phillips then slammed the door by stranding a one-out single in the seventh that Ford had allowed by getting a strikeout and ground out.
“Having two pitchers like that — I don't even know what they're throwing, but it was really good,” Goodman said. “I respect the heck out of them.”
Carterville, which came into the game ranked second in the coaches' poll, hadn't lost a game since its season opener.
North Boone put two baserunners on in the second inning after Dani Goodman laced a leadoff double to the wall in left field and Hayden Staver drew a two-out walk before Ford worked a strikeout.
Sydney Goodman and Lauren Stefek hit back-to-back one-out infield singles in the third but were stranded, as were Haven Hahn and Stefek after being walked in the fifth and Olivia Johnson after hitting her one-out single in the seventh.
“They have two girls that can get at you pretty easily,” Fleming said. “It's hard, when you face good pitching like that you just have to try to get one big hit, and unfortunately we didn't.”
North Boone ace Cami Carter started in the circle for the Vikings despite a finger injury that was re-aggravated during warmups on Saturday.
“I couldn’t throw some of my pitches today because of (that),” the senior said. “So, I wanted to go out there and show them I can throw more than just two different types of pitches. I threw a couple (pitches) that did end up hurting quite a bit, but I threw the pitches that would work for me and just did the best I could.”
Carter frequently worked around traffic on the basepaths from a hot-hitting Carterville lineup. She went the distance and allowed an unearned run on eight hits and three walks with four strikeouts.
The senior stranded NCAA Division I Tennessee-bound Amayah Doyle after a two-out double in the first and again after a two-out single in the third. She also stranded two baserunners in the second after a single and hit by pitch and Karson Caudill after her one-out single in the fourth.
“Cami is so tough and I’m so proud of her,” Goodman said. “I'm lucky that I got to play softball with her for this long like we play travel ball together — just seeing her resilience, it's amazing.”
Carterville loaded the bases with one out in the fifth off back-to-back singles and an intentional walk. But Carter got a strikeout and shortly after the runner at third was called out after leaving the bag too early to help North Boone escape the jam. Caudhill, who had a game-high three hits, had a one-out double and moved to third on a ground out but was left on after a pop out in the sixth.
“To do that against this team when you're banged up like she is, it's pretty special,” Fleming said. “It just speaks to who Cami Carter is and why I love her.”
But in the bottom of the seventh Kendall McCalla drew a walk and Colbie Bennett reached on an error after her groundout was thrown low into first. A groundout by Kennedy Rushing moved both to third and Doyle was intentionally walked to make the bags full.
Lauren Stefek forced out McCalla at home plate after Maddie Rosenberry’s groundout on the next play for the second out but Ford ended it three pitches later with her single.
The loss certainly doesn’t taint what was an incredible season for the Vikings. They won their first regional title in 12 years before winning both their first sectional and super sectional championships on the way to their first appearance at the state tournament. Their 29-5 record highlights the most wins in program history.
“It’s incredible,” Goodman said. “In our gym it's going to say 2024 regional champs, sectional champs, etc. That's just so cool, and I'm so happy for the school and for these girls to hopefully continue it.”
Plenty of strong pieces remain in players like Avarie Torres and Abby Galarza, who really heated up in the postseason, but Fleming emphasized the impact that seniors Sydney and Danielle Goodman, Carter, Stefek and Hahn have had on the program.
“I couldn’t even give you the right words,” Fleming said of their influence. “They’re just so special. They've really set the foundation of what we expect at North Boone for softball, and they’re leaving behind a lasting legacy.”
• FRIDAY'S SEMIFINAL: Stefek absolutely crushed a solo homer to break a scoreless tie in the fourth and an RBI double from Goodman in the seventh acted as insurance in the Vikings' 2-0 win over Auburn.
Carter was lights out from in the circle as she worked as she limited a strong Trojans' lineup to just five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in the complete-game performance.
Meena Taylor was stout as well for Auburn as she allowed just two hits while striking out 14, but the Vikings got the hits when it counted.
• BOXSCORE:
CARTERVILLE 1, NORTH BOONE 0
NB;000;000;0;—;0;4;1
Cart;000;000;1;—;1;8;0
NORTH BOONE (ab-r-h-rbi) – S. Goodman, 2b, 3-0-1-0, Stefek, ss, 2-0-1-0, Carter, p, 3-0-0-0, Goodman, c, 3-0-1-0, Alderman, 1b, 3-0-0-0, Torres, lf-rf, 2-0-0-0, Pearce, rf, 1-0-0-0, Staver, rf-lf, 2-0-0-0, Johnson, cf, 3-0-1-0, Hahn, 3b, 2-0-0-0. Totals: 24-0-4-0.
CARTERVILLE (ab-r-h-rbi) – Bennett, lf, 4-1-1-0, Rushing, ss, 3-0-0-0, Doyle, 1b, 2-0-2-0, Rosenberry, c, 4-0-0-0, Ford, p-3b, 4-0-1-1, Caudill, 2b, 3-0-3-0, Phillips, lf-p, 2-0-0-0, Gibbs, cf, 3-0-0-0, McCalla, 3b, 2-0-1-0. Totals: 27-1-8-1.
E: S. Goodman. LOB: NB 7, Cart 9. HBP: Phillips. 2B: D. Goodman, Caudill, Doyle.
E: Alderman, Goodman. LOB: IC 6, NB 4. SB: Raffaelli, Hahn. 2B: Dwyer, McMillen, Torres, Goodman. HBP: McMillen.
Pitching: NB, Carter (L) 6.2-8-1-0-3-4. Cart, Ford (W) 6.1-4-0-0-3-16, Phillips 0.2-0-0-0-0-1.
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