SOFTBALL: Eight-run first carries DHS into finals
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Du Quoin exploded for eight runs in the top of the first inning on their way to a 13-6 victory over Pinckneyville in the IHSA Class 2A Waltonville Softball Regional on Wednesday, as the Indians moved into Saturday's championship game where they will meet Nashville.
The victory was the fourth in a row for the third-seeded Lady Indians and head coach Jason James, who split with the second-seeded Lady Panthers during the regular season for their only conference win.
"We've been trying to get a little more relaxed," James said. "I think we got a little bit uptight. Just playing our conference, we knew that was going to be difficult. We went 1-8 in conference, got out of the conference (schedule), got a little more focused and started playing better."
The loss ended a season of ups-and-downs for Pinckneyville (21-11) and first-year head coach Mike Cheek. The Lady Panthers started off 15-2, but lost their next seven games before finishing up the regular season winning six of their last seven.
"I thought there would be a time when we went through a little bit of difficulty," Cheek said, adding "I didn't think we'd go through a seven-game skid."
"I'll sit back and think about this season probably all summer long."
Kelsey Toler doubled off of Pinckneyville starter Sara Malanowski to start the game, then both Jessica Hirsch and Kelsey Robinson reached on errors, bringing Toler home for a 1-0 lead. Hadley Marek singled to load the bases, and with one out Magen Edwards cranked a grand slam to centerfield to give Du Quoin a 5-0 lead and chase Malanowski from the pitching circle.
"The first inning I thought we stayed focused, we took advantage of a few of their mistakes and Edwards comes up with the big grand slam," said James. "That sort of got us going, once one hit, they seemed to all hit. That was a big part of our game right there."
Emily Chapman came on in relief, but allowed a three-run triple to Toler that made it 8-0 before striking out two in a row to end the inning.
The Lady Panthers stuck back with three runs off of DHS hurler Cassidy Rice in the bottom of the inning, including an RBI base hit by Taylor Cicardi, but still trailed by five.
Du Quoin began to tack on in the top of the second when Katrina Whitley drove in in Hadley Marek with a two-out single. Whitley would eventually score to make it 10-3.
Each team stranded base runners in the third, fourth and fifth innings before the Indians padded their lead with a three-run sixth.
With two outs and in danger of the game ending down by ten runs, Maddy Keith answered for Pinckneyville by driving in two with her double in the bottom of the inning, then scored on Mo Ramsey's double to cut the lead to seven. Dani Jenkel and Kortney Crawford both scored after singling to start the rally.
"I told the girls I was proud of them not giving in," Cheek said. "It would have been easy in that sixth inning, especially, with two outs, to go up there and make outs and be done. We had four seniors in a row step up and get hits, and that's what you want out of seniors. That showed a little character on their part."
Shersty Stanton, who had a three-hit day for Pinckneyville, doubled to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but was stranded at third base after Rice retired the next three batters in order.
Rice went all seven innings for the win, allowing five earned runs on ten hits while walking two and striking out four.
"She's been our workhorse all year," James said.
Toler led the way for the Indians offensively, going 3-for-4 (BB, 2 2B, 2 R) at the plate with three runs driven in. Rice (2-5, 2B, RBI), Whitley (2-4, BB, RBI, 2 R) and Wallace (2-5, 2 R) each had two hits; Robinson (1-4, HBP, R), Marek (1-3, 2 BB, 2 R) and Edwards (1-4, HBP, HR, R, 4 RBI) had one.
"They came out ready to play, you can't take anything away from Du Quoin, they hit the ball hard," said Cheek.
Ramsey (3-4, 2B, 3B, R, RBI) and Stanton (3-4, 2 2B) each had three hits for Pinckneyville. Keith (1-3, BB, 2B, R, 2 RBI), Cicardi (1-4, RBI), Jenkel (1-1, HBP, BB) and Crawford (1-3, R) also hit safely. Jordyn Wieland scored twice, first as a courtesy runner for Stanton in the first inning, then later pinch running for Jenkel in the sixth.
When asked what his team needed to do to be ready for Nashville, James kept it siimple: "Keep swinging the bats and working hard."
Du Quoin (21-9) will meet the second-seeded Hornettes for the Waltonville Regional Championship on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at Waltonville High School.
</group><group id="7E0783CF-E3CF-4040-9AAB-1725A02932D0" type="seoLabels"><seoLabels></seoLabels></group>